‘We must respect zoning provision’ — ABC Nwosu, Atiku’s ally, resigns from PDP

ABC Nwosu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) board of trustees (BoT), has resigned from the party.

Nwosu, an associate of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the party, was Nigeria’s former minister of health.

In a letter addressed to Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the PDP, and Adolphus Wabara, acting chairman of the BoT, Nwosu said he was leaving the party because of its inability to adhere to the zoning arrangement in its constitution.

“I hereby resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party and its Board of Trustees with effect from today Thursday 12th January, 2023,” the letter reads.

“This resignation for me is a matter of conscience and principle because of the Party’s inability to adhere to the rotation provision in its (PDP) constitution.

“The journey to rotational presidency between the North and South of Nigeria has been a long and arduous one and I have been involved.”

Nwosu said the opposition party “must learn” to respect the provisions in its constitution and the agreement reached by party members.

“Nigeria and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must learn to keep to an agreement reached by a Constituent Assembly (1995), and enshrined in the Party’s (PDP) Constitution (1998),” he added.

During the build-up to the PDP presidential primary election in May 2022, party members demanded that the presidential ticket be zoned to the south.

But the party’s national executive committee (NEC) approved the zoning committee’s report that the presidential ticket should be thrown open.

The fallout of the decision led to internal wrangling in the party with some members refusing to support Abubakar who emerged as standard-bearer.