https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/06/zoning-no-southerner-did-more-damage-than-80-of-95-igbo-delegates-to-pdp-convention-osita-chidoka/


Mr. Osita Chidoka, a former Minister of Aviation,
is a top leader of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) from the South-East. In this piece, Chidoka
narrates how he tried to get the PDP to give its
presidential ticket to his zone and Igbo delegates
to the party’s national convention, which took
place in Abuja, last weekend, blew it.

No other group did more damage to the idea of
zoning than the 80 out of 95 Igbo delegates to the
last Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention
who cast their votes against Igbo aspirants. The
80 delegates and their sponsors, in a tragic
display of lack of group consciousness and
primacy of personal interest, sent the country a
clear and loud message: zoning is not an issue
dear to Ndigbo. Igbo PDP delegates told Nigerians
that a President from the Southeast is not a
priority and not an issue of justice and fairness.
The country heard them

Two years ago, I approached Gov. Peter Obi, Sen.
Ike Ekweremadu, and Sen. Pius Anyim and spoke
on the phone with Gov. Dave Umahi with a single
message – run for the Presidency of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. Gov. Peter Obi, at two
meetings, told me he would not like to run
against Atiku Abubakar and would consider a
run if the party zoned the presidency to the
Southeast. Sen Ekweremadu expressed his
preference for the Governorship of Enugu State.
Sen Anyim said he was watching the terrain,

especially the zoning arrangement and would
feed me back. Gov. Umahi was non-committal. I
continued the engagement as I believed that these
men had sufficient name recognition and
networks that would aid a competitive run.

As time progressed, I started the campaign on
zoning, calling on the country to respect a
national agreement and convention. The
campaign gathered steam as I traversed TV
stations, online media, and radio stations,

pushing the logic and rationale for zoning. I was
a member of the PDP zoning committee for Party
Offices and used the platform to argue strongly
for zoning the Chairmanship to the North. We
achieved it but fell into a trap. We agreed to
defer the decision on zoning elective offices.

After the zoning of the Chairmanship to the
North, Sen Anyim contacted me and confirmed
that he would run. I was happy, and we went to
work. I provided advice, went with him to solicit
the support of some key stakeholders, and joined
him in submitting his form at the PDP. When I
read online that Gov. Peter Obi had declared, I
reached out to him and provided him with some
data about his standing across the regions from
an opinion poll. I kept reaching out to him. Mazi
Sam Ohiabunwa visited with me and we
discussed at length. I encouraged Sen. Anyim to
convene the meeting of Igbo Aspirants to create a
platform that will ultimately help produce a
consensus Igbo candidate.

Throughout the Primary campaigns, I did not
visit or attend any campaign event of Alhaji
Atiku, Dr Saraki, Gov. Tambuwal or Gov Bala
save for when they came to speak to the Former
Ministers Forum. On principle and at personal
pain, I stayed away from people who had
continually shown me friendship because I
believe that our nation must be built on
foundations of justice and equity

Two nights before the Primaries, I joined an
online meeting of select Igbo leaders. I
passionately pleaded with them to endorse Sen.
Anyim or Sam Ohuabunwa and make it public
while reaching out to the Igbo PDP Governors
and delegates to vote in one direction as a
message to the country that Ndigbo are serious
about zoning and fairness.

Vice President Atiku scored 371 votes which is
three times more than the Northeast votes at 112
votes and more than 298 the combined votes of
the Northeast and Northwest. Gov. Wike scored
237, which was almost twice the vote from the
South-South. Saraki’s 70 votes indicate a strength
beyond Kwara state, same for Gov. Udom’s 38
votes.
Sen Anyim got 14 votes 13 clearly came from
Ebonyi, and Sam Ohuabunwa got one vote.
Fifteen votes from 95 delegates? The Igbo zone
had no strategic interest in this election? No
strategic objective? I feel bad. I feel humiliated
not against Nigeria but against a group that could
not come together in a rare moment of group
consciousness to make a statement. Sad.
Nobody in the country thought the Igbo quest for
Presidency was serious by the voting pattern at
the convention. None of the Igbo candidates
could win a vote from outside of Igboland. Last
year when I lamented about the absence of a
show of strength by Igbo presidential aspirants at
the PDP convention, many took offence. Many
Ndigbo disagreed with me when I said that the
three most influential politicians in Nigeria were
Goodluck Jonathan, Yemi Osinbajo and Atiku
Abubakar. The evidence is playing out.
One can only become President of Nigeria
through a national platform. President Buhari
learnt that lesson and built a national coalition in
2015. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Mallam Aminu Kano,
Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Alhaji Waziri
Ibrahim all experienced it and tried to form a
Progressive national alliance.
In 1979, the National Party of Nigeria, a national
platform, delivered a largely unknown Alhaji
Shehu Shagari as President. Similarly, in 1993,
the Social Democratic Party, a national platform,
delivered Chief MKO Abiola. Furthermore, in
1999, the People’s Democratic Party a national
platform produced Chief Obasanjo despite lacking
support from his region. The same portends for
Dr Goodluck Jonathan, from the smallest state in
Nigeria. No politician will be elected President in
Nigeria without a national platform. PDP is in
danger of its national platform suffering serious
erosion with Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwanso
on the ballot. Who will profit from this erosion? I
will deal with that soon.

Or how PDP betrayed the Igbos

Wabsite for sell dm me private

Your people always reasons upside-down. They will blame everybody, Osinbajo, Tiunbu, SW, SS for their foolish action.

Igbos, always very vocal on Tinubu and Yoruba matters, where are you all?

Your presence and comment is needed here ASAP.

Lol

The British left their divide and rule template with the ones they handed Nigeria over to rule on their behalf.

It's working to the maximum as we can all see and attest to.

Plus igbos minus igbos Pdp will sail... that one is not talk

Plus Kwankwanso plus Kwankwanso Pdp Ship is sailing .. Pdp is not out to win all.. getting the center is all.

Igbos miscalculated.. they spread their delegates for money..

How about Obi that wants to drag igbos out of Pdp .. a national platform .. to Labour .. and divided their votes leaving igbos political homeless and without political future .. should Incase of tomorrow

I think Chidoka should be awaking igbos to this reality before them .. than all this turench .. Igbos need a national platform to get to osibanjo level

Nobody knew Osibanjo at National if not for Vice President
Today he’s a powerful politician.. with contacts spread

Igbos wan make Obi jump to President from anambra .. thinking say Na by media noise .. same thing wey no work for Tinubu..

Power to the people
North 2023

After this they would still blame their superior yoruba

The worse are the southern governors lured to the APC with fake promises..

They never saw the hand writing on the wall it was actually to waken their grip on the pdp

Abeg this people are very smart.. Give it to them..

Igbos are born cowards.

I don't really understand this people what would the 95 delegates from south east be able to achieve ?

Wike wining means we have to wait 16 years for power minimum
Atiku wining means we have to wait 4 years at most 8 years

Same thing is what's playing out in APC today

South should support south east based on equity and justice or south east support north based on interest

Thought politics is a game of interest ? Yorubas followed their interest and called it building bridges

Abeg let them use their bridge and allow Igbos build our own abeg

Why the noise abeg ?

Dey are still blaming SW for there cluelessness...

There Delegates no vote for dem buh dey are waiting for other region to vote for dem....

itaewon:
After this they would still blame their superior yoruba

Black Sunday in Owo. You should be in pensive mood. Igbos are not your problem. Be wise.

Malory:
Or how PDP betrayed the Igbos

No.

We betrayed ourselves.

Imagine Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu from southeast standing behind Wike…

Was it Iyiorcha Ayu in Abuja or Atiku that asked them to do that?

Imagine Chris Uba and Stella Oduah making themselves tools that were used to take Anambra PDP from Obi in support of Wike. Was that Ayu or Atiku?

We are our worst enemies.

So, Osita is right.

u are a failure Osita.

u guys failed to zone the ticket to SE after zoning d party leadership to north.


now a northerner is ur party flagbearer & a northerner is also ur party chairman. mumu man.

dis wan na medicine after death

Ok

They are blaming Yorubas for their failure.

Yorubas stand for their right in APC and got it, Ibos decide to either slave or chicken out of PDP after 24 years of servitude. It is a shame.

Penguin2:


No.

We betrayed ourselves.

Imagine Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu from southeast standing behind Wike…

Was it Iyiorcha Ayu in Abuja or Atiku that asked them to do that?

Imagine Chris Uba and Stella Oduah making themselves tools that were used to take Anambra PDP from Obi in support of Wike. Was that Ayu or Atiku?

We are our worst enemies.

So, Osita is right.

I quite agree with you.

A confirmed Atiku boy blaming the supporters of other candidates. Hypocrisy.

Look, Peter Obi is a highly qualified candidate with impressive manifesto but the fact is that those characteristics are not enough. Understanding the environment you operate in is also important. After 2019 election, he went politically passive until Anambra State governorship election. He knew delegates will determine PDP primary. He knew in most states, most governors control these delegates. Yet, he didn't build relationships with these governors and the delegates well before the official consultation started. He should blame himself.

Well, he is in Labour Party and really strengthening the party. It is important that he knows that his efforts in expanding LP will be exploited by some crafty politician in 2017 unless he become crafty too.

Wishing him fruitful campaign and victory in 2023 election.

mrvitalis:
I don't really understand this people what would the 95 delegates from south east be able to achieve ?

Wike wining means we have to wait 16 years for power minimum
Atiku wining means we have to wait 4 years at most 8 years

Same thing is what's playing out in APC today

South should support south east based on equity and justice or south east support north based on interest

Thought politics is a game of interest ? Yorubas followed their interest and called it building bridges

Abeg let them use their bridge and allow Igbos build our own abeg

Why the noise abeg ?

Some of you have been programmed to always attack the SW even when it is unnecessary and it’s such a shame. What has the Yoruba people got to do with this thread? Is Chidoka a Yoruba man?

See, it’s your business if you don’t like to hear the truth. However, keep the SW out of your everyday bitterness and cries. Build whatever bridge you want to build without dragging others into what’s not their business. Direct your attacks to Chidoka, Ohaneze and other Igbos who have been crying since the PDP convection was concluded.

Interesting

seunmsg:


Some of you have been programmed to always attack the SW even when it is unnecessary and it’s such a shame. What has the Yoruba people got to do with this thread? Is Chidoka a Yoruba man?

See, it’s your business if you don’t like to hear the truth. However, keep the SW out of your everyday bitterness and cries. Build whatever bridge you want to build without dragging others into what’s not their business. Direct your attacks to Chidoka, Ohaneze and other Igbos who have been crying since the PDP convection was concluded.

I don't understand you people hear the truth about what ? Igbos have been clear as day that's a southern president that is not Igbos is against Igbos interest and quest for igbo presidency and we would work against it simple

How's that's difficult to understand

Interesting

Gov. Peter Obi, at two
meetings, told me he would not like to run
against Atiku Abubakar and would consider a
run if the party zoned the presidency to the
Southeast

So Peter Obi tactically stepped down for Atiku going by Osita Chidokas comment

Osita Chidoka has ignorantly or wittingly failed to be honest to himself again. He failed to acknowledge the fact that the majority of the Igbo delegates' decision not to waste their votes on a single candidate from the South East extraction to prove a needless point to the general public was borne out of clear evidence from the majority of the power brokers from other zones within and outside the party prior to the special convention of the party that they were not disposed to a Nigerian president of the South East extraction, even after much entreaties were made.

Elections are always won and lost before the voting proper, which is the reason why the benefactors of the Igbo delegates did not see the need to embrace a group consciousness.

In any democratic political space, like ours, where politics of petty sentiments reign supreme over politics of principle and conviction, power is given not taken.

Up till now, the position igbo is vying for is " Yoruba must not get the presidency"

I nor know say u get sense like ds o.

Many of ur brethren hate to hear/see d blatant truth!

Penguin2:


No.

We betrayed ourselves.

Imagine Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu from southeast standing behind Wike…

Was it Iyiorcha Ayu in Abuja or Atiku that asked them to do that?

Imagine Chris Uba and Stella Oduah making themselves tools that were used to take Anambra PDP from Obi in support of Wike. Was that Ayu or Atiku?

We are our worst enemies.

So, Osita is right.

"....No other group did more damage to the idea of
zoning than the 80 out of 95 Igbo delegates to the
last Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention
who cast their votes against Igbo aspirants....."

....and u still get d effrontery to point accusing fingers at others?
Who do una like dis biko?

mrvitalis:
I don't really understand this people what would the 95 delegates from south east be able to achieve ?

mrvitalis:

I don't understand you people hear the truth about what ? Igbos have been clear as day that's a southern president that is not Igbos is against Igbos interest and quest for igbo presidency and we would work against it simple

How's that's difficult to understand

Direct your anger or whatever to Chidoka and leave the SW out of it. How’s that difficult to understand?

What Osita said is just the plain truth. We igbos are the real betrayals and cowards. Things like this make me feel ashamed of my tribe