2023: SPD says zoning of presidency is undemocratic and shouldn’t be encouraged
Oke Idawene, Chairman, Social Democratic Party (SDP) Delta Chapter, has said that zoning the 2023 presidency to a particular region of the country is undemocratic and should not be encouraged.
He said this on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen,saying that his party was opposed to zoning.
Idawene said the SDP was not for zoning but for competence, adding that it was time we stopped regional tendencies in the country.
He stressed that Nigeria is one, saying that no matter the situation, the country would not disintegrate, adding that it would be great with the support of all and by God’s grace.
“Let us elect a leader who is a true Nigerian both in body, soul and spirit, so at the end of the day, we can say Nigeria is going forward not backwards.
“Enough of us being a laughing stock, enough of retrogression, it’s time to move forward, SDP is anti zoning, we believe in compitence.
“For the Southern leaders, am from the South, if you want the presidency in 2023, I call on you to lobby, power is not given for free, it is taken, and it is a collective responsibility, ” Idawene,
He, therefore, advised political leaders in the zone to leave their houses and comfort zones to the North and appeal, giving reasons why they should produce the country’s next president come 2023.
He added that every Nigerian was qualified to run for the presidency irrespective of regions, eathnicity and religion.
On the unity of Nigeria, he appealed to all to support the unity and development of the country.
Idawene assured that Nigeria would not disintegrate, appealing to successionist to stop the agitations and the blood sheld.
“IPOB, I beg you to stop the killings, the South East need peace, no man runs from his house because there is trouble, let us all come together and sort Nigeria out, this should be seen as our responsibility,” he said..
He, however, commended the Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC) and its chairman,Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for experimenting the electronic voting at the recently held Delta Isoko South Constituency one election.
“The bivers method was used and there was no election ringing in that election.
“For the first time in Nigeria, I went for an election where untill the election morning, the collation officers were not known, and the voting pattern was clear, there was no fictitious vote, and we had genuine vote.
“To this end,I think we should give INEC all the support for electronic voting and collation of election results.
“It is only then that we can get genuine leadership and know that Nigeria is tilting towards Democratic tendencies” he said.
He expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for allowing INEC do its job unhindered in the state.
He called on politicians and the National Assembly especially, to support INEC to adopt electronic voting come 2023.
“And I want to say that we all owe it as a duty to stand behind INEC and re-write the narrative, so that at the end of the day.
“We will have a Nigeria where our votes count, where we can say we have a future ahead of us.
“Ones again, I want to commend INEC, even the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Delta, he did well as instructed from Abuja.
“I was part of the election, from the pre-election, during election and post election, everything was peaceful,” he said (https:newsatlarge.ng)