PDP zones speaker of House of Representatives position to southwest geo-political zone

NIGERIA'S main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned the position of the speaker of the House of Representatives to the southwest geo-political zone as part of a strategy to reach out to the area in a bid to woo voters as the February elections loom.

Hopeful of forming the next government after next year's polls, the PDP has elected former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from the northeast as its presidential candidate. Alhaji Abubakar has picked former Anambra State governor Peter Obi from the southeast as his running mate and senate president Senator Bukola Saraki from the north central geo-political zone is expected to continue in his position if the PDP is victorious at the polls.

In a bid to woo voters from across the southwest, the PDP has decided to zone the number four citizens post to the area along with the position of secretary to the federal government. Current vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is from Ogun State and the PDP hopes that this strategy will enable it undercut the All Progressives Congress in the southwest.

Apparently, the PDP leadership and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar mapped out these plans at a recent meeting in Dubai where he is currently holidaying. At the meeting they discussed a range of strategies designed to enable the PDP beat the ruling APC in the zone come 2019.

One party source said: “You know that the southwest has the vice president in the person of Professor Yemi Osinbajo now but apart from that position and some ministers, nothing tangible has come to the region in term of infrastructure. The position of vice president is almost ceremonial but under the PDP, the southwest will get the position of the secretary to the federal government as announced by Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

"Apart from this, the zone will also get the position of the speaker of House of Representatives and we know that we will make it in the zone. This is because all the states in the country have suffered from the present federal government. “

Meanwhile, women in Kogi State have announced an ambitious plan to stage a 1.2m-man march in support of Atiku. PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, who received a delegation of a presidential women support group, Success Initiative Women for Atiku, at the party secretariat in Abuja, stated that the party had opened strategic platforms for all the support groups to directly participate in the campaign.