Former Chief of Staff to Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State and Senatorial candidate for Eket Senatorial district, under the Young Progressives Party, YPP, Chief Ephraim Inyangeyen has blasted the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over claims of upholding principles of zoning in the party.
Inyangeyen until his emergence as the YPP Senatorial candidate was a PDP chieftain but was denied ticket because the party zoned the Senatorial seat of Akwa Ibom South to Ikot Abasi federal Constituency which did not favour him.
The former CoS is from Onna, governor Emmanuel’s hometown.
Inyangeyen had thereafter opposed the move with the view that the party should pay attention to competence rather than zoning. He later moved to YPP where he secured his ticket.
Speaking with journalists in Uyo on Monday, Inyangeyen said the PDP has shot itself in the foot when the Governorship candidate of the party is from Etinan as against the Itu/Ibiono federal constituency that should produce the next governor.
He added that at the federal level of the party, it zoned the Presidential ticket to North instead of the south, saying that the party has no right to talk about zoning since it had failed in the first instance.
He said “Let me say emphatically that PDP has shot itself in the leg when it couldn’t do zoning in Uyo. Etinan has had a shot in the governorship. Uyo has had their turn. So if they were talking about equity, the governorship in PDP should have been zoned to Itu/Ibiono federal constituency. And if they failed in doing that, they should shut up and not talk about zoning.
“PDP should be silent over zoning. The presidency of Nigeria was supposed to come to the south, PDP couldn’t do it, at the highest level where they are supposed to show example, allow that presidency to come to the south. The north takes it back and now they are talking about zoning the senatorial ticket. What are you micro-zoning when you couldn’t zone the presidency that has all the powers to change things.”
He also pledged his support to what gov Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is doing in PDP and his stance for the removal of the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, saying the North cannot keep the party Chairman’s position and that of the presidential candidate.
