The National Chairman, of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun
The Delta State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) may be engulfed in controversy over the zoning of the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2019 governorship election.
While the Delta North senatorial district is insisting on taking the ticket for the purpose of justice, equity and fairness, the State’s chairman of the party, Prophet Jones Erue has raised objection that the APC did not zone the governorship ticket to any of the three senatorial zones.The development is currently posing threats to the unity, strength and growth of the APC in Delta.
Erue in a statement said the governorship ticket for the 2019 election is not zoned to any of the three senatorial districts.According to him, “The contest for the ticket is not the exclusive preserve of any of the districts. Eligible aspirants, irrespective of senatorial districts will not be barred from the primaries, which will be free, fair and credible.”
He added that APC is a democratic party and its governorship ticket was open to all “The leadership has never contemplated zoning the governorship.“We hereby make it categorically clear that our party has not zoned the governorship ticket to any zone, and has no intention to do so. Our great party, the APC in Delta state has made tremendous progress towards building a united and formidable front in recent times.”
Erue assured of a level playing ground to all aspirants, saying our primaries would be free, fair and credible, as we will follow due process all the time. But the Delta North leaders who held a crucial meeting at the residence of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu insisted that the zone should be given the opportunity to complete the last four years of incumbent governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
In a nine-point statement signed by Mr. Hyacinth Enuha, the leaders argued that since the inception of the present democratic dispensation in 1999, the central and south senatorial districts have produced governors for two terms of eight years each.
