Why PDP must move presidential primary venue to Lagos – Bode George

Bode George, a former deputy national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday urged the party’s National Working Committee to move the venue of the presidential primary from Abuja to Lagos.

The main opposition party has fixed May 28 and May 29 for its special convention to choose the party’s presidential candidate for 2023 general elections.

George, who made the appeal at the party’s stakeholders meeting in Ikoyi, said the step had become imperative to forestall unnecessary clash with the ruling APC, which had also fixed its presidential primary on May 30 and May 31 in Abuja.

He said it would be difficult for the two leading political parties to hold their presidential primaries in the same location at a very close date.

According to him, “Two rams do not drink from same pot. I want to appeal publicly, move our convention away from Abuja and come to the city of Lagos. Why do we want to use the same location with the other political party?

“The biggest arena in Nigeria today by any yardstick is TBS (in Lagos). I am appealing because the consequences of ignoring the counsel will be too consequential for us.

“So, it is an appeal to members of the National Working Committee to look at it, and prevent falling into any trap. Let APC hold theirs in Abuja and we hold ours here in Lagos.

“We must come to where we will showcase the oneness, the indivisibility, the love that we have among ourselves, and that is the essence of this convention.

“I am begging them to take a cursory and much deeper look and ensure that we do what will not be injurious to the mind of members and the members of the public”.

The PDP chieftain stressed that the convention should impact positively on the minds of Nigerians, who are not card carrying members that PDP is a better managers.

“everything needed to host a successful and hitch-free convention, without any encumbrance, is in Lagos”, George said.

On insecurity, the PDP chieftain, urged leaders to guard against religious and ethnic wars, while admonishing Nigerians to be prayerful.

“We need to be very careful as a country. We need to be extremely prayers. We have entered the journey into 2023. The situations generally are not heartwarming.

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“I want to plead, whether you are a Christian or Muslim or a traditional worshippers, let us spend this particular week to fast and plead with God Almighty that the devil that has come into our nation will be expunged.

“We must be prayerful, we are entering the most dangerous season,” the PDP chieftain said.

On the decision of PDP to jettison zoning, George said that zoning remained absolutely sacrosanct in the PDP, adding that the decision to throw the presidential race open was because, it was already late and it would be impossible for the party to ask all those who purchase the forms to forget about their ambition.

George, however, urged party leaders in the state to choose the most competent among the presidential aspirants, adding that it must be the Who will be prepared under any circumstances to bring succour to Nigerians irrespective of tribe, creed, and religion.