By JOSHUA OMOLOYE
A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal has said the importance of demography cannot be over-emphasized in electoral success. He, therefore, urged the leadership of the PDP to be strategic in its recruitment process for top positions, particularly its presidential candidate.
The Sokoto State governor advised the party not to be railroaded into zoning the presidential ticket but rather be mindful of counting on its demographic strength and later after gaining power, settle for sharing of political offices.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday while addressing members of Conference of Former Speakers in States Assemblies and Presiding Officers in the House of Representatives, Tambuwal prayed that PDP should prioritize winning election in 2023 over zoning of its ticket. He gave an insight into strategy adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the 2015 presidential election, The Trumpet gathered.
He was then in the APC. According to him, the APC capitalized on power of demography by taking its presidential ticket to Katsina State considering the voting voting strength of the North West zone and President Muhammadu Buhari won.
“APC won because we were planning to win. If we had taken the ticket to the South then, we wouldn’t have won”, he said.
Considering the race for 2023 presidency, he painted an analogy, saying: “in the whole of the south PDP presently has eight states and APC also has eight states while in the north, the APC has 14 states and PDP five states.
“We must accept this teality and work with the reality. We must first win election and then come to share power. “You can share tickets because you can tear it up, but you must plan to win. PDP must accept this reality. The ticket must be balanced, as zoning or any Muslim-Muslim ticket or Christian-Christian ticket would be dead on arrival and recipes for disaster.”
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Promising to tun an all-inclusive government in which no ethnic or tribe will be marginalized, he said what happens to the South East zone will never happen on his watch as president.
Tambuwal added: “I am coming with my pan-Nigerian content, competences in handling federal and governance issues, in addition to having references in all the 360 constituencies in the country who can vouch for me. “It has never been this bad for governance in this country, therefore, the President we need is one that understands the country, inclusive in his dealings and one that will allow the rule of law to flourish.
“From the array of those running for President now, I dare say that I am closer to the youths. Age is a factor for what we are doing today,” pointing to many of his achievements as Governor of Sokoto state despite the paucity of funds accruing to the state.
