A former Presidential Aspirant on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze, on Sunday, urged the leadership of the party leadership to pick a Southern candidate if former Senate President, Bukola Saraki emerges the PDP National Chairman.
Anakwenze, in a statement, described Senator Saraki as eminently qualified to lead the party at “this crucial time and reconcile all the aggrieved members and groups within the party.”
He, however, warned that the party must learn from the leadership crisis which almost destroyed the PDP.
According to him, to restore the confidence of the aggrieved members and that of the generality of Nigerians in the PDP as their own party, and hasten the ongoing reconciliation efforts within the party, the party’s next Presidential Candidate should come from the South if Saraki, a Northerner become the National Chairman to ensure balance.
He warned that repeating the mistake this time of not considering the feelings and sentiments of members of the party from the South who felt marginalised and aggrieved under the sacked Iyorchia Ayu leadership, would be too disastrous.
Anakwenze said: “At the root of the crisis rocking our great party, the PDP today, is the crass impunity displayed under the sacked leadership of the party which rigidly kept to its wrong position of picking both the National Chairman and Presidential Candidate from the North and pretended that the Southern section of the country did not exist.
“This action pushed away people who felt aggrieved, having no sense of belonging in the party as typified by the former G-5 Southern Governors led by Nyesom Wike, who is now a minister in the Tinubu-led APC administration.
“Now is the time to rebuild the PDP into a truly national party. If the next National Chairman comes from the North, the next presidential candidate of our great party should be a Southerner. “
“I’m ready to support Saraki to become the National Chairman of our Great party.”
