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The former Anambra state Governor, Peter Obi, is convinced that the South East will clinch the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s presidential ticket for 2023 election.
Obi, who is also an aspirant on the platform of the PDP, said the region is not planning to play a second fiddle in the next general elections.
He disclosed this while speaking on a Channels TV programme on Sunday, April 10, 2022.
While answering questions on the chances of the PDP zoning its presidential ticket to the South East, Obi said the conversation is on to ensure that this becomes a reality.
Recall that the four South East presidential aspirants in the PDP had met over the weekend and discussed the possibility of presenting a consensus candidate from the region to contest the PDP ticket.
The meeting that was held in Abuja on Saturday, April 9, 2022, had in attendance the former Senate President, Pius Anyim; ex-Anambra State governor, Peter Obi; former President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigerian, PSN, Sam Ohuabunwa and a medical doctor-turned politician, Nwachukwu Anakwenze.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the four aspirants said “We have agreed to work together as a team. We will work together to ensure that a South Easterner emerges as arm-twist the PDP flag bearer. We intend to consult with other zones on this issue and it is based on fairness and equity.
“In doing so, it is important to note that we have always supported other zones and we now expect them to reciprocate,” the statement read in part.
Commenting further on the matter, Obi told Channels TV that the region is not out to arm twist the other regions, rather, they hope to convince them through dialogue and consultations.
He added that the South East aspirants have all agreed to work together to present a common front going into the May 28 presidential primary of the PDP.
When asked if they will accept to provide a Vice Presidential candidate if PDP decides to zone it to the region, Obi said such discussion is premature at the moment as the competition is still on.
"You don't discuss issue of runner-up or running mate when you're in competition, nobody enters a competition accepting to be second or third until the competition is over.
We're there to win, we're not there because we want to negotiate this," he said.
The zoning conversation has polarized the PDP as northern and southern aspirants have continued to disagree on the right way forward.
The party had set up a 37-member committee with the mandate to come up with a position regarding zoning.
However, the Governor Samuel Ortom-led committee after several consultations, only suggested that the contest should be thrown open to aspirants from all the regions.
This outcome clearly didn't go down well with southern aspirants who have insisted that the party must adhere to its constitutional recommendation on zoning.
Meanwhile, aspirants from the north, including the Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed, his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal and former Senate president, Bukola Saraki, have been holding conversations for weeks on the possibility of presenting a consensus candidate from the region.