Osita Chidoka: PDP pursuing northern strategy to become national party again

Osita Chidoka, a former minister of aviation, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) needs to win back the northern states to become a national platform.

Chidoka said although the party must endeavour not to lose the south-south and south-east, its focus must be on bringing back the northern states into its fold.

He spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“The challenge is understanding the future of the party. PDP is going through a serious metamorphosis. In 1999, PDP was a national party made up of the north and the south-east and the south-south,” he said.

“In 2003, that changed, PDP became a south-west, south-east, south-south, middle belt and some northern states party. By 2011, the country had divided into two, and PDP had become a southern party more or less, losing all the northern states in the presidential election.

“By 2015, we had lost including the middle belt, and the PDP was relegated almost to the south-east and the south-south.

“What we have now in the PDP is what I called a northern strategy. Restoring PDP as a national platform that cuts across its base in the south-east and south-south and cuts across the north.

“Without us winning back the north into the PDP as a party, we will not be able to remain a viable national platform.

“What is at stake today is the mechanism of doing that. That ability to win back the north into the fold of the PDP must not be at the expense of losing our base. So, it is that conversation that is going on within the PDP. I believe we will find a middle ground in that.”

At a meeting in Lagos on Sunday, an aggrieved PDP group — comprising Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu — restated its call for the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu as the party’s chairman.

The group, dubbed G5, announced the formation of ‘Integrity Group’ and noted that it was still open to reconciliation.

So far, the group has boycotted all the PDP presidential campaign rallies.