Forum of previous and serving House of Representatives members have told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to allow open presidential main election ahead of 2023 general elections.

They explained zoning as a poisoned chalice and attempt to whittle down democratic procedures, which if allowed, will prevent prospective candidates from exercising their capacity, asking the celebration management to toss the contest open to all zones.

The online forum stated this in Abuja, adding that advocacy for zoning has been laced with an attempt to shift attention and focus away from the huge selection of fake and stopped working pledges by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the forum prompted PDP men and females, youths and seniors to be careful of the guile of the stopped working APC in its effort to puzzle the concerns, move the argument from performance and great governance to ephemeral and ordinary problems of zoning and rotation.

Speaking on behalf of the forum, Hon. Mukhtar Ahmed, stated that the presidential ticket ought to be opened to all, so that the best prospect will emerge to save the nation from APC quagmire and misrule.

He said that an equal opportunity must be given and the celebration ought to rise above sentiment, so that the best hand will emerge to deliver the nation from its present scenario.

He stated that the party must be more worried and believe more of who can provide and give the nation good governance.

“In a democratic setting such as ours, particularly so in our really democratic PDP, zoning and rotation at no time in our history has actually filled in the constitutional and democratic to seek any elective workplace, consisting of the presidency.

“Even when the starting fathers of the party were alive, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi was permitted to have his say and the leaders and celebration members, through their votes, had their way.

“What mattered most to the starting daddies and leaders was getting the best prospect who was sellable, powerful and had the capability to guarantee excellent governance and promote democracy.

“Northern leaders at the time based on the smart choice to promote equity, fairness and justice within the party allowed for a North/South power rotation thus President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 8 years in office,” he stated.

Describing further, Ahmed said that the option of Obasanjo was strategic, including, “Obasanjo was the among the creators and leaders of the celebration believed could win the elections and power would be handed over to him since of his military background and international prominence. He was likewise sellable to all Nigerians and detribalized. For that reason, what they did then accords with the point we made earlier about the candidate being sellable and powerful.”