The Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are strategising on how to win votes from the South-West, Saturday PUNCH has learnt. This followed the emergence of a former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Sources close to the party and its presidential candidate said the emergence of Tinubu, being an influential politician from the South-West, had changed the dynamics of the party’s preparation as regards how to win votes from the zone.
The North-West, the only geopolitical zone with seven states, has the highest number of registered voters in the country, followed by the South-West, which has Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Oyo states.
Meanwhile, some party chieftains in the South-West are demanding fair consideration from the party and Atiku as an incentive for the region. They said this was important for the PDP to be able to compete favourably with Tinubu in the region. They said if the party wins the February 25, 2023 presidential election, certain positions should be zoned to the region.
For example, the PDP in Oyo State said the senate presidency should be zoned to the South-West if the party won the presidential election.
The publicity secretary of the party in the state, Akeem Olatunji, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Friday said aside the Senate presidency, the PDP in the region wanted the development and adequate security of the South-West.
Olatunji said, “We expect the Senate Presidency to come to the South-West. But what we want mainly in the PDP here is good governance. We want the roads to be fixed, let there be provision of infrastructure and creation of state police to assist in tackling insecurity.
“Also, we want the economy to be fixed because it has been terribly damaged by the APC government. We want the Ibadan Airport to be upgraded to international standard and an inland dry port in order to decongest the sea port. The Ibadan – Oyo – Ogbomoso Expressway is a very strategic road and should be completed quickly. I believe Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will do all these and more if he wins the presidency. The agitations for secession by various groups will end with good governance and justice. This is what the PDP will do.”
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