Some leaders and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State and some states in the north-central zone of the country have said that they have concluded arrangements to protest across the zone against anyone vying for the national chairmanship seat of the party.
The leaders/members who said they are of like-minds and have formed a strong forum in the party to initiate and carry out political activities that would benefit the region stressed that acceptance of the APC chairmanship could cost the zone the 2023 presidency which is one of their strongest quests.
Speaking with newsmen after their meeting in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on their behalf, Saleh Mandung Zazzaga said, “We had last month issued a warning to those APC leaders seeking to contest the chairmanship seat from the region, but some of them are still hellbent on going on with their intention, therefore leaving us with no option than to organise a protest across the region to send a strong signal the aspirants.
Zazzaga maintained that “the north-central should not compromise the 2023 Presidency for any other position because it is time the presidency be zoned to the region for the sake of equity and fairness.”
He also reiterated that they are not speaking for the APC as a party, but that as party members/leaders at various levels, they have decided to form a forum to pursue initiatives that would benefit the whole region.
According to him, “The 2023 presidency should be zoned to the North Central because apart from the military era, since the democratic dispensation this region hasn’t actually produced either the president or the Vice President, but has tremendously contributed to the democratic growth in the nation.
“I want to once again state that it would be fair and equitable for the presidency to be zoned to the north-central region.
“But one of the things that could jeopardize the quest is the acceptance of a party’s National Chairmanship position by anyone from the region.”
Adding that: “The political calculation and understanding is that if a party chairmanship is zoned to a region, the presidency would be zoned to another region.
“We are therefore sending a strong warning to our party leaders from the North Central vying for the party national chairmanship to retrace their steps, and rather work together for the emergence of the President from the region rather than the chairmanship position which will technically cost us the presidency come 2023”, he stressed.
He called on the APC national leadership to consider their quest and zone the presidency to the region.
Stressing that they are not alone as members of other parties from the region are with them in their push for the presidency to come to the north-central.
