2023: Peter Obi, Pius Anyim, others meet, insist on South-east presidency

Four presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the South-east region of Nigeria met in Abuja Saturday and resolved to ensure their party zones its presidential ticket to the region.

Ex-Anambra governor Peter Obi, ex-Senate President Pius Anyim, Sam Ohuabunwa, and Nwachukwu Anakwenze are among the 14 aspirants who have purchased the forms for the PDP presidential ticket.

The four men at their meeting agreed to “work together to ensure that a South Easterner emerges as PDP flag bearer.”

Details and pictures of the meeting were published on Facebook by Mr Anyim.

The PDP has not zoned its presidency to any region despite calls for it to do so. The calls have been very loud from the South-east, a region that has not produced any democratically elected executive president since Nigeria’s independence.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the party’s zoning committee submitted its report on the zoning of the presidential ticket to the executive of the party.

Although details have not been made public, the committee is believed to have recommended that the presidential ticket be made open to all aspirants to compete for.

Apart from the four South-east aspirants who met on Saturday, other aspirants include ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governor Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers.

The PDP is expected to be the main challenger to the ruling APC in next year’s presidential election.

Read the full post by Mr Anyim on Facebook below.

Today, Mr. Peter Obi, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Dr. Nwachukwu Anakwenze, and myself, all of us from the South East, who have declared intention to run for the office of president of Nigeria and have obtained the normination form of our great party the PDP, met in Abuja. The main purpose of our meeting was for us to resolve to work together to promote understanding, unity and collaboration among the four of us and any other person from the South East zone who may later join in the race. We had a very fruitful meeting in an atmosphere of friendliness and respect for one another.

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At the end of our meeting, we addressed the media on our resolutions as follows:

1) That we have agreed to work together as a Team.
2) That we will work together to ensure that a South Eastern emerges as PDP flag bearer;
3) That we intend to consult with other zones on this issue and it is based on fairness and equity;
4) That in doing so it is important to note that we have always supported other zones and we now expect them to reciprocate.

We are committed to working with our party leadership and party members from across the country to ensure that the founding principles and ideals of our great party are upheld to reassure Nigerians that PDP is ready to rebuild and reunite our dear country. We ask Nigerians to give us the chance to fix this country. Together we will get Nigeria to work again.