Premium Times
As political parties make final preparations ahead of campaigns, the two major parties are prioritising the North-central geo-political zone.
Baring last minute change of plans, both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will kick-off campaign rallies in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital and Makurdi, the Benue State capital, respectively, PREMIUM TIMES can report.
Kwara and Benue States are in the North-central zone also called the Middle Belt region.
According to the timetable and schedule of activities set by the electoral umpire, INEC, campaigns for the 2023 national elections will officially kick off on 28 September, while that of governorship and state houses of assembly will begin 12 October.
Although it is not clear what informed the parties’ decision to kick-off campaigns in the North-central states, it is also not unrelated to the fact that their national chairmen hail from the region – Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State and Iyorchia Ayu from Benue State.
Both parties have since released the lists of their presidential campaign councils – which have generated controversies among members.
For the APC, PREMIUM TIMES reported how some governors in the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) complained that some of their nominees were either missing from the 422-member list or not properly captured.
Following the complaints, the governing party, in a statement on Monday, said a comprehensive list is being generated.
“Recall that we had earlier earmarked a peace walk and prayers for Wednesday, September 28, 2022, to officially kick-off our campaigns for the 2023 Presidential Elections…
