By Gbenga Akingbule
The All Progressives Congress, National Forum (APC-NF) has on Friday called on all stakeholders of the party to ensure zoning of the presidential ticket to the North-West, stating that it will be the best option to defeat the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Gatekeepers News reports that the group which boasts of having over 6 million members across the country stated that the numerical strength and popularity of the part in the North-West zone informed their decision adding that “Politics is a game of numbers”.
At a press conference in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Chairman of the APC-NF Mustapha Mala Karamma said the APC must be ready to put its best foot forward if it’s serious about winning the presidential election ahead of the 2023 election
According to the Chairman, “the former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is no doubt a political strong force in Nigeria and we need a stronger force from the North West Region to defeat him.”
Karamma added that ” It is obvious, that the issue of zoning is central dogma, that is currently trending in Nigeria’s political space. Any party that wants to either remain in power or is struggling to take power must zone its Presidential ticket to Northern Nigeria and to the North West precisely.
Mustapha Mala Karamma, middle during the press conference in Maiduguri.
“This is considering the superior governance and leadership style of the northwest, where six states of that region are controlled by the ruling APC and the sterling qualities of leaders we have across that geopolitical zone.
“Furthermore, our party must observe keenly, the Zoning of the opposition PDP and the quality of the candidate it gives the ticket to. As the 2023 election draws nearer, the debate has once again shifted to the zoning arrangement. We call on National Working Committee, All Stakeholders as well as well-meaning Nigerians to consider the presidential ticket of our great party to be zone to the North West because it is the region that is densely populated, with block votes yet suffering security setbacks, hunger and poverty,” Karamma said.
On why the group failed to consider the idea of zoning the Presidential ticket to the North East, the Chairman said the region is already divided equally between the APC and PDP and may not be the best option for his party.
“The APC controls three states of Borno, Gombe and Yobe while PDP controls Adamawa, Bauchi and Taraba states in the northeast region. But in the northwest region, the APC controls six states and that is a clear advantage for a Presidential Candidate from that region.,” Karamma said.
