Ahead of the 2023 Presidential election, former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki appears to have taken a significant step in the big contest following his adoption for the plum office by the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Saraki’s adoption, yesterday by the FCT chapter of the PDP came after Benue, Nasarawa and Niger states chapters similarly adopted him within the past one week.
Shortly before the adoption, leaders of the party from FCT noted that only a Presidential candidate of North Central extraction would be good enough for the PDP in 2023. According to them, the North Central axis, having contributed immensely to deepening democracy in the country since the return of the military to the barracks in 1999, is yet to be appreciated for its selflessness, commitment and sacrifice to the growth and expansion of the PDP.
Thus, in a unanimous voice vote without dissent, they pledged their unalloyed support for the micro-zoning of the PDP Presidential ticket to the North Central geo-political zone.
That settled, Alhaji Ogah Doma, a chieftain of the PDP in FCT moved a motion for the adoption of Saraki as the North Central pick for the Presidential ticket; a motion that was unanimously adopted by the stakeholders.
At the event were PDP stalwarts including FCT chairman of the party, Sunday Zakka, Senator Sulaiman Adokwe, Dr. Musa Ahmadu amongst others.
There are indications that like 2019, the leadership of the PDP would again retain the Presidential ticket in the North, particularly as the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, appears to be going down South in search of its Presidential flag bearer.
For political pundits, going up North would represent a smart political move for the PDP given the voting pattern in the North dating back to the First Republic.
So far, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Governors Aminu Tambuwal and Bala Mohammed of Sokoto and Bauchi states respectively have been credited with interest in the race on the platform of the PDP.
The outgoing leadership of the party has continuously insisted that the zoning of the Presidential ticket has not been discussed at any level yet.