Amidst the controversies surrounding the issue of zoning of the governorship ticket in 2023, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Ogunka Adiele John, has advocated a level playing ground for all those aspiring for the office.
It should be recalled that zoning of the governorship position has become very thorny and controversial in the Abia State PDP with different political blocks canvassing for the zoning of the governorship ticket to different Senatorial Zones.
Former Governor of the State and Senator representing Abia Central has called for the zoning of the office to Abia North, while the PDP has, in a recent statement zoned the office to the Abia Central and Abia North Senatorial Zones. On the other hand, Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, who is from Abia South has already obtained expression of interest and nomination forms for the governorship ticket of the party, and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, some days ago routed for either the Ukwa political bloc, which is in Abia South or Abia North to produce the next governor for Abia State.
In a statement, Chief John, who was former Abia State Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said a-no-zoning arrangement was the best approach at this time considering the fact that all the three Senatorial Zones in the State have had a shot at the Governorship seat, and besides some aspirants have bought Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms, stressing that it would be unethical to ignore this basic fact.
He posited that a new political arrangement with regards to zoning should begin again after the emergence of another Governor in 2023, stressing that there was no zoning when former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu was voted to power in 1999.
Chief John emphasised that it would be risky for the PDP to dissipate energies at this moment on where power should go when there is complete absence of marginalisation of any Senatorial Zone concerning the governorship seat in Abia State.
He cautioned that the party stood the great risk of playing into the hands of the opposition if the issue of zoning is not jettisoned as quickly as possible.
“A level playing field and competitive primary is all that the party would need to sustain its strongholds to win the next election”, the statement added.
