*Promises PDP will ensure party’s constitution strictly respected
Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, a Board of Trustee (BoT) member of PDP, says Ayodele Fayose cannot contest in the party’s primary poll for 2019 presidential election.
Nwodo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that PDP’s ideology forbade Fayose and other members from the South from contesting in the presidential race in 2019.
He said that the ideology would be followed to the letter in spite of Fayose’s declaration.
“Fayose cannot run and I will tell you my reason.
“When we formed PDP, the first battle we fought and won as a party was to zone the presidency to the South.
“Those of us from the south made a case because in the first republic, prime minister was from the North; in the second republic, the president was from the North, and in the third republic, a southerner won and the election was annulled.
“There was no way we could go back to the south and say let’s elect a northerner again without giving the south a slot.
“A decision was taken that the presidency should come from the south and the chairman of the party to come from the north.
“That was how Solomon Lar became the chairman of PDP and secretary was zoned to the south; that was how I became the first secretary of the party,’’ he said.
Nwodo, a former National Chairman of PDP, said that the party would take a decision to ensure that its Constitution and ordinances were respected.
