The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, have revived their hopes of reclaiming power they lost at the centre in 2015 by 2023, following the alleged crack in the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
PDP Governors’ Forum also reiterated that the platform will help the party return to power at the federal level in 2023.
The Chairman and Sokoto Governor, Aminu Tambuwal spoke recently at a banquet organised by the Akwa Ibom government, ahead of the forum meeting in Uyo later in June.
Tambuwal assured that he and his colleagues would not disappoint Nigerians. He said the nation has experienced the toughest period between 2015 and now, and said that if there is any hope of democracy in Nigeria, it has come from the PDP governors because of their excellent performance in their states.
Currently, PDP controls 15 states including Abia State, Adamawa State, Akwa Ibom State, Bauchi State, Bayelsa State, Benue State, Delta State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State, Edo State, Oyo State, Rivers State, Sokoto State, Taraba State, Zamfara State. The exit of Ben Ayade from the PDP to APD reduced the ratio to 15;20 while Anambra remains in the control of APGA.
The recent interview conducted by President Mohammadu Buhari threw most Nigerian spectators into confusion and raised suggestions that all is not well within the camp of the APC.
President Buhari, had in an exclusive interview with Arise TV in Abuja made some statements which have been interpreted to mean that Presidency and the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are not in good terms.
Buhari has said no individual member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has the authority to dictate the party’s zoning formula for the 2023 general elections.
Buhari during the interview was quoted to have said “
“You cannot sit there in Lagos, for instance, and decide on the fate of APC on zoning…”Therefore we should allow the party to decide.” Most national newspapers went to town with this statement and suggest that the ruling party may have been in chaos.
There have been issues over the zoning arrangement of the party. While some of its chieftains, including the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, are insisting that there is a zoning agreement, others are saying there is none.
A list had gone viral in April on social media with the title “APC announces zoning arrangement ahead of 2023 election year.”
In that list, the party was said to have zoned the nation’s presidency and senate presidency to the South while its national chairman post was zoned to the North.
The ruling party has since denounced the list.
The president also stated the restructuring of the party has begun and only members of the political party have the power to decide the party’s fate.
The second signal was when President Buhari came to Lagos the same day to commission the Lagos-Ibadan Railway line terminal. The commissioning ceremony witnessed the presence of most of the Governors of the south-west, but Asiwaju was also conspicuously missing at such August event, which he was supposed to “seize” to validate his friendship with the President and strengthen his presupposed presidential ambition in 2023.
These two premises have raised concerns as to whether the president and his unofficial skill man are no longer on good terms.
Recall that week before, Asiwaju was in the news, when he reportedly waited for a former Vice President and 4 times presidential candidate in Nigeria’s election, who is currently a leader at the opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar. A video of the two friends went viral and it was interpreted that Asiwaju maybe reuniting with his old-time friend ahead of 2023 if the climate within the ruling party doesn’t look favourable.
The South Western states under the PDP are equally working towards forming a strong allegiance to reclaim some of the states where the structure has been affected by the divisive struggle within the party, these states include Ogun, Ekiti Ondo and Kwara.
