Nyesom Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, has said that the decision to zone the presidency to the South vindicates his principal.
He recently revealed that PDP finally realized its mistake of not listening to Wike in 2022.
Speaking via a press statement, Lere shared that retaining the National Chairman of the party in the North is further vindication of Wike and the G-5’s position three years ago.
According to him, the FCT minister and the G-5 insisted that the presidential candidate of the PDP and its National Chairman cannot stay in one zone, but their stern warning fell on deaf ears.
He stated that Senator Iyorchia Ayu stubbornly holding on to his position and Atiku backing him was why the PDP fell short in 2023.
“Now, that the party has realised its mistake of not listening to Wike and the G-5 in 2022, and have chosen to do what they said, three years after, have they not been vindicated now?
Recall that the FCT Minister and the G-5 had insisted that the presidential candidate of the PDP and its National Chairman must not remain in the same zone, insisting that since Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from the North had emerged as the presidential candidate, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, also from the North must resign to pave the way for a National Chairman from the South. Ayu, however insisted on not resigning, with Atiku and his group backing him. Aftermath of this was the electoral misfortune the party suffered in 2023, followed by instability after the elections,” he said.
Lere further noted that correcting the 2022 mistake 3 years later is not too late; therefore, it is the right step for the party to take.
He concluded by saying that the zoning would be fully justified if the South finishes its 8 years and then power returns to the North 4 years later.
“But today, the NEC resolved that since the National Chairman of the party is zoned to the North, the PDP 2027 Presidential ticket be zoned to the South.
Has PDP not come back to eat its own vomit?
Sadly, they know the truth. Wike simply said, take the chairmanship to the South if you want to gain the presidency, but they said no, they must take the two, and the PDP lost!
They have realised the mistake they made in 2022 and are correcting it in 2025. But is it not too late already, bearing in mind that the only way the zoning can be justified is for the South to conclude its eight years, while the presidency returns to the North in 2031?” he added.
