Former Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor and chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patrick Ekpotu has said the party risks ‘avoidable self-immolation’ if the zoning/consensus agitation is not amicably and transparently handled.
He said leaving the issues of zoning still lingering and eliciting debate, on the eve of the party’s primaries, goes with certain depth of vulnerability.
“It may potentially hurt cohesion and unity of purpose in the party, given the widespread sentiments and inflamed passion over the zoning fiasco,” Ekpotu noted.
The PDP chieftain stressed that no zone, without the others, can win the election for the party. The success, corporate existence and continuing relevance of PDP, he said, would most likely depend on how the party manages the diverse interests and tendencies in the coming weeks.
Ekpotu, who spoke in a statement, stressed that democracy abhors exclusion and, any call or move that is not in sync with principles of inclusivity, which draws life from democracy, is anti-people and anti-progress; and should be jettisoned in the interest and success of the party.
He maintained that zoning, just like any talk of consensus, at this eleventh hour, could be tantamount to invitation to chaos.
Ekpotu said: “It is my opinion that it is already late to be talking about zoning or consensus when the party primary is around the corner and about 17 aspirants have bought nomination forms in our party.
“Although the PDP has made the mistake of not taking a position about the contentious zoning since the last election, the party must rise above this challenge by taking steps to reassure its faithful.
“To continue to remain indifferent to the issue is to encourage new dimensions of greater aberrations such as the one that recently played out in the northern presidential consensus candidate drama, which was seemingly conceived in misgiving to conspire, lock out, and eject some aspirants, including Atiku Abubakar, from the presidential race…”
“At the risk of repetition, I say again that to sweep APC away from power in 2023, the PDP must put its best foot forward to meet the yearnings of the people. It must focus on the bigger picture of regaining presidential power, by finding a way to concentrate its energy, resources and ingenuity in surmounting the hurdle of contesting power with an incumbent party, rather than sustaining the disruptive, self-sabotaging zoning debate.
“We have to recognise and appreciate this fact, unsentimentally, to wean ourselves of unhelpful political illusions that may work against our interest and avoidable political self-immolation post 2023 general election.”