By Emameh Gabriel in Abuja
Kogi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it would jettison the zoning formula adopted by the ruling party to pick its presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election, describing the idea as ungodly and undemocratic.
The state Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello, made this known at the weekend in Abuja during a reception organised by the party stakeholders of the state to honour his recall to office for another term of four years.
Bello, who expressed optimism about APC chances to return to power in 2023, said even if the party had zoned the position of its national chairman to the
North, the decision would not stop the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, from contesting its presidential primary.
He said: “In a democracy like ours you allow everybody to express his or her view. As a matter of fact, zoning is undemocratic and ungodly. Zoning will not give you the chance to have the best man.
“As far as the youths in Nigeria are concerned, they want a situation where the best man should have the ticket. As far as we are concerned Bello is the candidate to beat in 2023.
“I am happy you said the party has zoned the chairmanship to the North Central not the presidential ticket. As far as we are concerned, the APC has its own style. That the chairmanship position has been zoned to the North Central cannot stop Bello from running.
“And if you look at the new Electoral Act, you cannot disenfranchised anybody, whether he is from North Central or not. Even if the national chairman should come from Kogi, Yahaya Bello will still contest.
“To the best of my knowledge, it is a sacrifice the governor must accept to do by running in 2023 on the platform of the APC.
“His chances are very bright in the sense that today, we have the youths all over Nigeria calling on him to run for the presidency,” he stated.
On his plans to further reposition the party in the state, he said the governor has given him all the necessary support that he needed to succeed.
“What I do more is to continue to encourage more people to embrace the party,” he added.
