October 08, (THEWILL) – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that Nigeria’s next leader could emerge from any corner of the country.
Atiku made this view known on Thursday at the Abuja meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the country’s leading political opposition, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The NEC held a closed-door meeting in Thursday to discuss the resolution of the Zoning Committee, among other issues, towards party’s National Convention on October 30.
The committee zoned the National Chairman to the North, which fuelled speculations that the presidential ticket would land in the South.
This had been the position announced recently by the Southern Governors Forum, that demanded the zoning of the presidential tickets of all the parties to the South.
Atiku was the party’s Presidential Candidate in the 2019 polls and lost to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former Vice President said the geopolitical zone of the President was immaterial to solving the various problems of the country.
He reportedly said: “The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has the right to determine its rules and how the party should be governed. The people of Nigeria also have the rights to determine who governors them.
“Where the President comes from has never been the problem of Nigeria. I can cite examples — neither will it be the solution.
“There is no such thing as a President from Southern Nigeria or a President from Northern Nigeria. There is only one —a President from Nigeria, for Nigeria and by Nigerians.
“Talking about inclusion, I will like to see a new national working committee of our party that has sizeable numbers of youths and women.
“The decision of NEC today will either see us PDP in The Villa in 2023 or not. Since the inception, this party has faced serious challenges and has risen above sentiment to solve those challenges and move forward.”
