By Agu Ocha
A founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has mocked the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for jettisoning the zoning of its presidential ticket, saying it’s like buying a vehicle with the name tag, ‘No Refund After Payment’.
Okechukwu, the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), said that by jettisoning zoning, “the PDP has violently breached its own constitution and the national convention which governed our 4th Republic”.
He further said that by the action, “PDP has shot itself on the foot and put itself in harm’s way, thus endangered internal democracy, national unity and has abandoned its original stronghold, the southern belt”.
He said that “by jettisoning the zoning convention, the Bazaar Carnival stage in the next few weeks has branded PDP’s vehicle No Refund After Payment”.
Okechukwu spoke while reacting to the throwing its presidential ticket open to all the geopolitical zones, in the country for the contest.
Okechukwu stated that the latest decision by the PDP would expose its presidential aspirants to extortion by thr party members, who are aware that there is no refund in money politics.
Asked why he tagged PDP’s new vehicle, “No Refund After Payment”, Okechukwu said: “Firstly, the PDP has shot itself on the foot, has breached its own constitution and the golden zoning convention governing our 4th Republic; hence endangering its internal party democracy and national unity.
“In addition, by this singular unforced error of selfishness, PDP has thrown away the baby and the bathe water.
“Secondly, and most importantly, PDP by jettisoning the zoning of president, has abandoned the Southern belt which is its original stronghold, especially now that APC has patriotically zoned the presidency to the Southern belt.”
He added that, “PDP has committed error of judgment by banking on northern voters; forgetting the sophistication of Northern Voters, who voted MKO Abiola against Bashir Tofa and who voted Chief Olusegun Obasanjo when Yorubas did not vote for him in 1999.
“They are gambling with the wrong horse, all Northerners and Nigerians in general need is healing, unity and peace,” he said.
Okechukwu further said that PDP has opened the Pandora’s box of “Stomach Infrastructure”, by exposing her presidential aspirants to “money bags-rat race”, a scenario where members with full knowledge that there is no refund after payment will swoop and milk the aspirants dry.
According to him, in the absence of a father figure like President Buhari in the fold of PDP, the outcome and huge crack in jettisoning zoning convention is unimaginable, therefore PDP’s center can no longer hold.
Reminded that PDP has father figures like IBB and Obasanjo, Okechukwu quipped, “the Generals are operating from outside the ring; they don’t have the much needed political clout to weep anyone into line.”
