A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kassim Afegbua, has said that Nigerians are tired of seeing the same set of people contesting for president and that his party ought to change its strategy ahead of the coming 2023 elections.
Afegbua said on Tuesday on a monitored Channels Television programme while discussing the party’s potential candidates, particularly former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was the candidate for the PDP in 2019.
“It will be immoral for the north to want to represent the PDP as candidate of the party and at a time when a northerner will be finishing eight years,” he said.
“I was specific about the aspiration of a man who represented the party in 2019 elections. I said we are tired of seeing old faces.
“From 1990 to 2019, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has been contesting for President. There’s nothing wrong with that but the PDP has to change its strategy”.
According to Afegbua, the party should, this time, consider a zoning the presidency to the south.
He said the change is necessary for the sake of political stability.
Another chieftain of the party, Segun Sowunmi, who was also on the show, acknowledged that while it is true that the party had never filed a candidate from the south, it was not enough reason to deny willing candidates the opportunity, regardless of their geo-political zones.
He also believes that age is not a necessary factor to use in disqualifying any candidate.
“I hold the view that you need someone who understands the country significantly and deeply. Someone who can get the job running based on a track record of the understanding of the complexities of how the presidential system work especially in a democracy.
“In a democracy, all persons who feel they have the something to contribute, have the passion and are burning must first of all not be bullied and must be allowed to try their luck.”
