2019: Where Are PDP’s Northern Candidates?

Stumbled upon local news report coverage on recent meeting of Northern PDP members where it was resolved that the zoning formula adopted by the party be strictly adhered to. This was coming on the heels of recent Presidential declaration by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state.

Months after its 2015 electoral misfortune, the People’s Democratic Party in its new role as Nigeria’s main opposition party set up a review committee which recommended that the Presidency be zoned to the North. By this action, the PDP had somewhat admitted that fielding then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, a Southerner, must have been a mistake. Also, the PDP by this move may have acknowledged that the North was cheated when President Jonathan was allowed to ride on after Yaradua’s death. These Party zoning permutations in favor of the North arose from arguments that since Nigeria’s return to Democracy in 1999, the South has enjoyed more slots as President. Obasanjo had eight years, Goodluck Jonathan five years, making a total of thirteen years while Yaradua (representing the North) barely did three years, and now President Buhari also approaching his third year – making it a total of five to six years for the North.

Proponents of PDP’s zoning arrangement conveniently decided to forget that the North has cumulatively produced more Nigerian Presidents since 1960…all of a sudden we are being programmed to pretend that Nigeria got her independence in 1999.

Strategically, there is nothing wrong with PDP zoning its Presidential ticket to the North, the problem is that the party took that decision from a position of weakness, a somewhat defeatist move. President Buhari has enjoyed cult following in the core North for decades; in 2015, extraordinary media propaganda helped consolidate and spread his cult followership down South, especially in the SouthWest. When PDP took the decision to zone its Presidential ticket to the North, it was still quite early in the life of Buhari’s administration, no one knew the monumental failure his government would eventually become.

Today, there is anguish, despair, anger and frustration in the land. Beyond Buhari’s clannish support within some ethnic and religious quarters, a larger chunk of Nigerians probably now want a genuine leader that can provide solutions regardless of where he comes from. By hastily zoning its Presidential ticket to the North, PDP has robbed itself off an opportunity to think outside the box now that situation demands it.

President Buhari’s lopsided anti-corruption war has targeted several members of PDP, Northerners inclusive. There’s hardly any mainstream PDP leader that is not on EFCC’s radar. Many have ongoing Court cases already, only those that decamp to the ruling APC are automatically cleansed and set free.

It is barely fourteen months to the 2019 general elections, as I type this, no Northern PDP candidate has boldly declared his/her intention to contest the Presidency. A few have shown body language but seem to be foot dragging due to known or unknown Corruption allegations; none has declared like Fayose, and time is going. 

There is palpable fear that most Northern PDP candidates might stall and sellout to Buhari by 2019, in exchange for Corruption-free clean bill of health. It is true that as a serving Governor, Fayose enjoys immunity from prosecution and this may have emboldened him. But PDP has two serving Northern Governors, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe and Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba, both men have not indicated interest in 2019 Presidency.  So when Northern members of PDP gather in Abuja to condemn Fayose’s declaration and insist PDP’s Presidential ticket stays zoned to the North, we ask, where are PDP’s Northern candidates?

~Stanley Nwabia