A former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani has disclosed why he is supporting Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the upcoming election.
Nnamani, a serving senator who is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP, says he decided to align with Tinubu, because the PDP breached its Constitution, by subverting the principle of power rotation.
The lawmaker said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
According to him, the PDP’s constitution prescribed that important political offices be rotated between the South and the North to give fairness, equity and justice.
Nnamani noted that the outcome of last year’s presidential primaries infuriated southern PDP faithful, including the G5 Governors who insist on respecting the rotation principle of North and South.
“Conscious of the need to share and rotate key political offices among the diverse people of our country, the PDP constitution clearly stated that it shall adhere at all times to the policy of the rotation and zoning of the party and public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness.
“Even when the PDP national Chairman Iyorchia Ayu made a firm commitment to step down should a Northerner emerge as presidential candidate for the 2023 election, the leadership jettisoned the constitutional provision and turned the logic upside down.
“Recalled that the PDP in 2019 allowed the North to contest the primaries for the presidency in Port Harcourt, Rivers in which Atiku Abubakar clinched the ticket and contested the election.
“It was expected that in 2023, the PDP in a corresponding manner allows the South to contest for the plum position, but the party in its decision open the contest for both the Northern and Southern aspirants.
“In a twist of events and political manoeuvring Atiku Abubakar got the ticket again,” Nnamani said.
“The outcome of the presidential primaries infuriated southern PDP faithful including the G.5 Governors who insist on respecting the North/ South rotation principle.”
Nnamani said the action of the PDP amounted to injustice and lack of equity, saying that it was morally wrong to leave power in the north after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023.
The former governor of Enugu State said that Buhari in recognition of the North and South power rotation created a window for political balancing that enabled Tinubu to emerge as APC presidential candidate.
“Having critically examined the situation, I found Bola Tinubu as the preferred candidate from the south to foot the bill in 2023,” he said.
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