2023 PDP Presidential Primary: It’s Time To Give A Woman A Chance!

– Re: 2023 Presidency: Big fight for PDP’s Sole Ticket

– 2023 Presidential Election: Next President Should Be A Christian From The South —CAN

– Non-Southern Christians to bury their 2023 presidential ambition— NSCEA

Notably, on January 15, 2022, Dirisu Yakubu wrote on “2023 Presidency: Big fight for PDP’s sole ticket” in Vanguard News Nigeria. Again on March 2022, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has admonished former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former senate president, Bukola Saraki, and other non-Southern Christians to stay off and bury their 2023 presidential ambition, and support the clamour for a Southern Christian to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), President Rev. Samson Ayokunle has announced officially that, “the Christian body has taken a position to support the call for the next President be a Christian from the South, even as he maintained that  CAN has no candidate for the Presidency, but will not accept a Muslim-Muslim ticket.”

Rev Dr. Ayokunle stated CAN’s position, when he addressed a session of Christian leaders and European Union Delegation led by the EU Chief Election Observer, Ms. Maria Arena on a mission to the country from 1-5 March in preparation for the coming general election observation. The Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA) has honoured an interview on the same matter. The EU Delegation has requested, wanting to know the position of CAN on the preparation of all the stakeholders, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the political parties.

Further, according to Dirisu Yakubu’s account, “For the past eight years, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Nigeria’s largest opposition party has been in the backwaters of national politics, particularly at the centre. Following its loss of the Presidency to the then newly formed All Progressives Congress, APC in 2015; the PDP has been playing second fiddle to the ruling party, which again won the 2019 Presidential election despite the former fielding a master political strategist and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its candidate.

A post-mortem carried out by a committee chaired by Bauchi state governor, Senator Bala Mohammed identified internal cracks within the fold of the PDP, lack of common front and unified purpose as some of the factors that worked against the interest of the party in 2019; issues that the new leadership of Dr Iyorchia Ayu has vowed to tackle ahead of the next election cycle.

As the Ayu-led National Working Committee continues to seek ways to reposition the party for the big test, prominent members of the party have not hidden their ambition to vie for the highest elective office, each trying to convince the PDP why the cap fits him more than the rest. Who are these men and how bright are their chances?

Atiku Abubakar
Atiku clinched the PDP Presidential ticket in keenly contested primaries in Port Harcourt, leaving Tambuwal and Saraki for the second and third places respectively. A master of the game, Atiku’s financial war chest, political visibility and structures place him in a vantage position to get the ticket again for 2023.

Already, the former Vice President has won the support of media tycoon, Raymond Dokpesi who is going round the ticket to selling the Atiku for President 2023 mantra to Nigerians diverse faith and ethnic configurations.

Set to declare his ambition on the platform of the PDP in the first quarter of 2022, Atiku has held various consultative meetings within and outside the country to swell up his support base ahead of the big test.

Weaknesses
While his vast experience in politics is not in doubt, Atiku’s age is likely to count against him when the chips are down. He will be 75 in 2023, an age many would expect him to simply focus on mentoring young ones for future leadership roles. Moreover, CAN says no, after Buhari’s 8 years in power.

The emergence of governors as a potent powerful bloc may see Atiku’s wings clipped given that they are likely to support one of their own for the exalted office.

Bala Mohammed
Senator Bala Mohammed’s Presidential ambition is reportedly receiving the blessings of renowned businessmen who crossed paths with him when he was Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Although eligible to seek a second term in office as governor, Mohammed is said to have told close friends and associates that a Presidential mandate will avail his opportunity to serve Nigerians to the best of his ability.

An alumnus of the University of Maiduguri, Mohammed’s growing political influence and network of friends across the land may sway the ticket in his favour.

Drawbacks
Governor Bala Mohammed is often seen as one with doubtful loyalty to the PDP. In the past few months, rumours of his possible defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, dominated news spaces for months. CAN says no, after Buhari’s 8 years in power.

As a first time governor, Mohammed’s national appeal remains a matter of debate with political pundits seeing 2023 as too early for him to go for the highest office in the land.

Aminu Tambuwal
In 2018, Governor Aminu Tambuwal caused quite a stir when he beat 10 other aspirants to emerge the first runner up to Atiku Abubakar at the PDP Presidential convention in Port Harcourt.

Following their impressive outing, the 56-year-old politician is set to test the waters again ahead of the 2023 Presidential election.

Backed by the Northern traditional institution, Tambuwal is likely to clinch the ticket this time should the PDP elect to zone the Presidency to the North as it did in 2019.

In the past few years, the two-time governor has etched his name among a few of the performing governors in Nigeria; a development likely to work in his favour in the next election cycle.

Weaknesses
While his popularity in the North is not in doubt, Tambuwal’s ability to garner delegates’ votes from the South remains a matter of conjecture. Also, CAN says no, after Buhari’s 8 years in power.

Nyesom Wike
He is not nicknamed Mr Projects for nothing. Some have argued that no governor since the return of democracy to the country can boast of massive infrastructural development like the governor of Rivers state.

In what appears like a political strategy, Barrister Wike has often called on political leaders from across party divides to participate in commissioning capital projects in the oil-rich state.

Although yet to make an official statement of his future post-2023, many believe Governor Wike is pushing the hierarchy of the PDP leadership to zone the Presidency to the South.

Weaknesses
Even though the Iyorchia Ayu-led NWC is yet to make the position of the party known with respect to zoning, many are of the opinion that the PDP is zoning its Presidential ticket to the North in 2023.

Udom Emmanuel
Like Wike, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state has done well for his people, particularly in the execution of capital projects in the past six and a half years.

Set to declare his Presidential ambition in March, Emmanuel believes a Southern Presidency after eight years of Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner in the saddle would help unite the country and mend broken fences.

Bukola Saraki
A former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, two-time governor of Kwara state is one of the most colourful politicians in the land.

In 2018, he finished third on the log behind Tambuwal and Atiku in that order. As a demonstration of his intent to go for the highest office, Saraki reportedly turned out overtures made to him to vie for the PDP national chairmanship election a few months ago.

Drawbacks
It is not certain if Saraki’s state of origin Kwara is “Northern” enough to satisfy the yearnings of those clamouring for the zoning of the Presidential ticket to that region. Regrettably, CAN says no, after Buhari’s 8 years in power.

Dele Momodu/ Sam Ohambunwa
The two declared their Presidential ambitions earlier in the week at the PDP secretariat, Abuja. While they are both armed with ideas capable of making Nigeria rise again, it is doubtful if the fault lines that have held the nation down by the jugulars for years would pave way for the realization of their dreams.

Therefore, towards Party Primaries’ Presidential Campaign for PMA CHOICE in People’s Democratic Party (PDP), we at Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies Campaign Organisation (PMACO) hereby presents the profile of the only Amazon among them for the purpose of Female Presidency in Nigeria:

Prof. Olufunmilayo Adesanya- Davies is a frontline female Presidential aspirant on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the forthcoming 2023 Presidential Election in the country. She is usually being known and popularly referred to on Socio-media as PMA-CHOICE!

Amb. Prof. Mercy Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies (PMA) is an household name in the annals of Nigeria politics whose exploits in the game of politics actively dominated by men could not be swept underneath. Having paid her dues in humanity services and to the nation as a whole, she has decided to venture into race for the topmost position in the Nigeria political realm being dominated mainly by men.

A SHORT PROFILE OF AMB. PROF. FUNMILAYO ADESANYA-DAVIES

AMB. FUNMILAYO ADESANYA-DAVIES, a linguist educationist public servant since 1988, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, has served as a University lecturer and administrator for thirty-six (36) years, 1985 to-date as a consultant, researcher and activist to-date. Mercy Olufunmilayo, a multi-talented teacher of teachers is a member of POLAC Int’l Peace Advocate, who currently serves as the Country President, International director, as well as, the Deputy Chairperson on the board, serving humanity towards achieving ECOWAS millennium goals. POLAC – Positive Livelihood Award Centre, alias UN-POLAC ‘s mandate is to enhance the effectiveness of the UN millennium development goals and UNESCO Culture of Peace Programme particularly the maintenance of peace and unity in diversity.

Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies hails from Ira, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria and she is married in Ogun State, in the West. In the political parlance, once an ardent Member of ACCORD Party in Kwara State over the years, then a prominent People’s Democratic Party (PDP) member, and presidential aspirant in 2019, she later emerged as the presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in the 2019 election. She is the editor and co-author of the celebrated and popular presidential endorsed book, Jonathan/ Sambo Presidency in Nigeria: A Symbol of Peace, Unity and Progress, placed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in every University and National libraries of the Country, in line with the Commission’s continued efforts to promote publications, research quality and global visibility of academic staff in the Nigerian University System.

A credible woman of impeccable character, she believes in determination, professionalism, excellence, accomplishment and experience. One who cherishes the ideals of a democratic, free and egalitarian society, she thus emerged as the ticket bearer of MAJA and a female candidate in 2019. She is known for her leadership prowess and competence, strategic mind, ability and skills, vocal audacity, strong presence and personality. She demonstrates resilience as well as versatility, locally, nationally and internationally and political interest, education, humanitarian activities, general experience in administration, in over three decades.

Mercy Olufunmilayo Adesanya-Davies with her B.A (Ife), M.A English (Ilorin), Ph.D Applied Linguistics & Communication Studies (Port Harcourt) and P.G.D.E (Port Harcourt) holds a Doctor of Divinity (D.D) and Professor of Divinity (Honoris Causa) of Northwestern Christian University, USA. She is also working currently on her second Ph.D in Clinical Linguistics and Psychology at TBU-GE, New York, USA, where she serves as an adjunct professor and consultant.

Mercy is an academic and educational consultant, on professorial cadre, at Rivers State University of Education, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, where she has lectured in language, linguistics and communication studies in the past thirty-two years. She also facilitates courses in Language and General Studies at the National Open University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria and has served on sabbatical, as Deputy Provost at Life gate College of Education, Ilorin; Kwara State, Nigeria; Dean at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Regent University of Science and Technology, Accra, Ghana and a Visiting Professor to the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. Mercy, an international educationist, is an External Examiner, supervisor of Doctoral dissertations, for the School of Postgraduate Studies of one of the African number One Universities, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Mercy Davies facilitates Seminars and Workshops for Longman Pearson, Nigeria and Cinefores, Brainfriend Project, Lagos, Nigeria.

She has over one hundred national and international published articles, books and poems to her credit and has delivered several scholarly, professional and public lectures in Nigeria, Africa, UK, Europe, United States, Canada, etc. Mercy is a member of; The British Association for Applied Linguistics (UK), Internationale de Linguistiquee (AILA), International Phonetics Association, UK., Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN) Nigeria, The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and Teachers Registration Council (TRC) Nigeria etc. She also serves as External Examiner supervising Doctoral dissertations for the School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Passionate about the transformation, development, progress and unity of Nigeria, she is an accomplished educationist, who believes she can boost Nigeria’s Human Capital Development Index and its Competitiveness in the area of skills and talent management. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, the Chairperson of Princess Mercy Ade-Davies International Foundation (PMADIF) is the newly appointed Country President of POLAC vying for the position of Nigeria President as the only Amazon Aspirant of Nigeria’s largest party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.