2027 presidency: PDP zoning too late, Atiku lacks integrity – Wike’s aide

Stressing that it’s too late, Olayinka wondered how zoning
of the presidential ticket to the South would benefit the PDP.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Olayinka
said President Bola Tinubu is from the South, hence the North may not be
comfortable with a new president in 2027.

According to Olayinka: “Wike saying it’s too late, it’s too
late already, what will zoning give PDP now? Now that we have zoned, what will
it give the PDP?

“The zoning to the South when you already have a sitting
president from the South and he will recontest in 2027.

“Going by the issue of equity, will the people from the
North be comfortable with a new president from the South that will be coming to
say he will spend eight years?

“You can’t on one hand say that you are looking for
competent people, you are on one hand say that you are looking for Nigeria of
your dreams, you can’t on one hand say you want this country to be nice and on
the other hand you now say because we are looking for the best person, then you
choose a Nigerian from Sokoto State and choose the Vice President from Kebbi
State and Senate President should come from Maiduguri, SGF should come from
Kaduna State.

“No, it doesn’t work that way, those who made the Federal
Character part of Nigeria were not stupid, they knew what they were doing, they
knew that in every part of the country there are competent people.

“What Wike said in 2022, since the presidential candidate of
the PDP emerged from the North, the Chairman of the party should move to the
South and what has happened now? Wike did not say zone to South or North. He
said move the Chairman of the party to the North because you can’t have the
Chairman of the party and candidate of the party from the North or South.”

Olayinka also accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar
of lacking integrity.

He blamed the PDP’s loss in the 2023 presidential election
on Atiku’s refusal to adhere to the zoning arrangement then.

Olayinka added: “But some people, including the then
candidate Atiku, said he can’t do anything about that, at the end of the day we
lost an election.

“What kind of integrity will someone who has moved from one
party to second party to third party to fourth party to fifth party to sixth
and to seventh party within the state of our democratic experience?

“What manner of integrity should a person come and preach to
us? What manner of integrity will somebody who was Vice President of Nigeria
under PDP, under PDP ticket as VP, he contested presidential election as
candidate of Action Congress.

“The first thing you must do as Vice President with
integrity, holding the mandate of PDP, was for the person to have resigned.”