PDP’s presidential candidate will come from North — Makarfi

The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the PDP,
Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has given a hint on how the party
will handle the issue of zoning ahead of 2019 elections.
He said leaders of the party would ensure that collective decisions
of the party were allowed to hold sway at the end of the day.

Makarfi, in a chat with newsmen at his residence in Kaduna, said
PDP would adopt what obtained in previous presidential primaries,
where those that did not agree with decisions on zoning were
allowed to contest; but at the end of the day, the party had its
way.

A committee headed by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike
Ekweremadu, had last year recommended that the presidential flag
bearer of the PDP should emerge from the North and the national
chairman from the South; a decision that was upheld at the party’s
convention in Port Harcourt.

Makarfi said the decision had not changed, and the party was
expecting all its members to abide by it.

“That is the party’s position. Anything to do with the party, it
is from the party leadership you will hear it, not from any other
person; and that is why I am reaffirming that the position on
zoning has not changed. It was the decision of the Port Harcourt
convention held in May and the decision of the convention is
supreme,” he explained.

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State had since declared that he
will definitely contest for the presidency in 2019.

Makarfi said the PDP believes in freedom of expression. “Let me
also remind you that when the presidency was zoned to the South in
1999, some people from the North contested and went against it in
their own right; but the party went with the decision it took.

“So it is not for an individual to make a case whether to abide
by the decision of the party or to go against what the party says,
at the end of the day, it is the position the party takes that will
prevail.

“I have not talked with anybody on that but that has not altered
and will not alter the decision the party has taken; presidency
remains zoned to the North and I know for sure that is the position
of all our governors, National Assembly members, the BOT and state
chapter chairmen of the party,” he said.

The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the PDP,
Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has given a hint on how the party
will handle the issue of zoning ahead of 2019 elections.
He said leaders of the party would ensure that collective decisions
of the party were allowed to hold sway at the end of the day.

Makarfi, in a chat with newsmen at his residence in Kaduna, said
PDP would adopt what obtained in previous presidential primaries,
where those that did not agree with decisions on zoning were
allowed to contest; but at the end of the day, the party had its
way.

A committee headed by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike
Ekweremadu, had last year recommended that the presidential flag
bearer of the PDP should emerge from the North and the national
chairman from the South; a decision that was upheld at the party’s
convention in Port Harcourt.

Makarfi said the decision had not changed, and the party was
expecting all its members to abide by it.

“That is the party’s position. Anything to do with the party, it
is from the party leadership you will hear it, not from any other
person; and that is why I am reaffirming that the position on
zoning has not changed. It was the decision of the Port Harcourt
convention held in May and the decision of the convention is
supreme,” he explained.

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State had since declared that he
will definitely contest for the presidency in 2019.

Makarfi said the PDP believes in freedom of expression. “Let me
also remind you that when the presidency was zoned to the South in
1999, some people from the North contested and went against it in
their own right; but the party went with the decision it took.

“So it is not for an individual to make a case whether to abide
by the decision of the party or to go against what the party says,
at the end of the day, it is the position the party takes that will
prevail.

“I have not talked with anybody on that but that has not altered
and will not alter the decision the party has taken; presidency
remains zoned to the North and I know for sure that is the position
of all our governors, National Assembly members, the BOT and state
chapter chairmen of the party,” he said.