A Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Okwesilieze Nwodo has said Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose cannot contest in the PDP Presidential Primary election.
Nwodo stated this in Abuja after Mr. Fayose formal declaration of his intention to vie for the position of President of Nigeria in 2019 on the platform of the PDP.
“Fayose cannot run and I will tell you my reason,” he said.
* Okwy Nwodo
“When we formed PDP, the first battle we fought and won as a party was to zone the presidency to the South.
“Those of us from the south made a case because in the first republic, prime minister was from the North; in the second republic, the president was from the North, and in the third republic, a southerner won and the election was annulled.
“There was no way we could go back to the south and say let’s elect a northerner again without giving the south a slot” he said
“ A decision was taken that the presidency should come from the south and the chairman of the party to come from the north”
“ That was how Solomon Lar became the chairman of PDP and secretary was zoned to the south; that was how I became the first secretary of the party” he sai d
The former governor of Enugu State said the PDP would soon take a decision to ensure that its constitution and ordinances were respected.
Fayose had reportedly written a letter to the PDP insisting that his ambition to become president was without prejudice to the party’s position.
The PDP had said it had zoned the presidential ticket to the North and party’s national chairman to come from the South West. The Vice Presidential candidate is expected from the South East.
The party had issued a statement saying Fayose is wasting his time by insisting in running for the party’s presidential ticket.