Salihu Lukman, former director-general of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), says the possibility of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) producing a northern presidential candidate is a threat to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ahead of the 2023 elections, there has been a clamour from various quarters to zone the presidency to the south.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Lukman said it is “almost conclusive” that there is no negotiation of zoning the PDP presidential ticket to the south.
“The potential that PDP will produce a northern candidate presents a very strong challenge to the APC, which will affect the emergence of a ‘quality leader’ as the presidential candidate of APC,” he said.
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Lukman said a new organisation known as ‘The Association’ — made up of businessmen, political and civil society leaders, including 14 current governors — is key to opening the political spaces in the PDP and APC.
“Therefore, the new political value potentially being created by a group such as the ‘association’ is the possibility of opening the political spaces in the country, including within the current big parties (APC and PDP) to produce higher quality leaders that what would have ordinarily been the case in 2023,” he said.
“It will require some superior organising to produce such a higher quality desired different outcome, which is why such an initiative requires the support of all patriotic Nigerians.
“The other dynamic is also the question of providing a level playing field for candidates from all parts of the country.
“There are many leaders across the country and in both PDP and APC who could have qualified to emerge as candidates with all the ‘quality leadership’ credentials being envisioned with reference to any leadership qualification.”
The APC chieftain added that politicians must be made to organise their campaigns based on honesty.