Doyin Okupe

By Eromosele Ebhomele

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is making one of its biggest mistakes by thinking of zoning the position of its national chairman to the Northern part of the Nigeria with the aim of splitting President Muhammadu Buhari’s popularity in the part of the country, Dr. Doyin Okupe, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has said.

The first mistake the party made, according to Okupe, was the fact that out of desperation for incumbency, the party short-changed the North by fielding Jonathan for the presidency.

Jonathan had lost to Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2015 general election.

Okupe said the chairmanship of the party is supposed to go to the South-west that has never produced anyone in that position since 1998 when the PDP was established.

“The argument that because the party is weak in the North (and that) if the chairman is zoned to the North it will strengthen the party in that zone is a puerile argument. It is not supported by fact or history.

“Presently and for sometime to come General Buhari is the most popular northern politician and leader alive. He stands and will likely stand shoulders taller than any politician in APC or PDP in that region.

“Let anybody mention the name of one northerner that Buhari’s present status will not dwarf.

“This is neither unique or peculiar. When Awolowo was alive, there were great politicians in the West, but he was of such stature that if the ruling party then appointed one National Chairman per state in the West, it would have amounted to no political strength or gain whatsoever.

“It was this type of sentiment that led to the zoning of the chairman(ship) of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, to Chief Adisa Akinloye, (who) no doubt a political juggernaut, but still could not produce the desired result.

“It is for the same reason that the fact that Alhaji Adamu Muazu, a northerner, and a two-time Governor of Bauchi state, could not help the fortune of the PDP in the North or even his state Bauchi.

“What we need to strengthen the PDP in the North is excellent and stellar performance of PDP governors in the North and the South, diligent and committed efforts by local party leadership and passionate and courageous, genuine and dutiful engagements of party the leadership at all levels with the grassroots in the zone.

“In retrospect, it is regretful that based on the expedient circumstances of incumbency, we committed a politically fatal error of robbing the North of their turn to have the presidency in 2015 and we paid dearly for it.

“The party is once again on the verge of making a similar error by robbing the Southwest of its first chance of producing the National chairman after 18 years, and after all the other five zones have enjoyed that opportunity,” he said.