A former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, has said that he will contest the Presidency in 2023 whether the Peoples Democratic Party zones it to the South-East zone or not.

Anyim made the declaration on Saturday in an interview with journalists in Abuja.

The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation said that the PDP’s national convention would signal the commencement of political activities in the party, adding that it was an ample time to indicate interest.

“Posters of my presidential bid and agitations by groups for me to contest flooded the social media in 2020 and I disassociated myself from such calls.

I felt that it was too early for such declarations to enable the present administration concentrate on governance.

Such calls resurfaced in the early part of 2021 and I choose to be quiet over the issue.

We presently have less that 18 months to the next elections and I feel the time was ripe to indicate my interest.”

He noted that the zoning committee constituted by the party was only saddled with zoning party positions and not elective positions ahead of 2023.

“Zoning of such positions was deferred but nothing stops any one from the South-East zone from contesting the presidency even if it was not zoned to it.

The most important thing is that the party’s national convention is a sort of rebirth for a group of people who have recovered from a setback.

“The party members are presently focused and determined to reclaim power with one spirit,” he added.

Anyim said that despite the party’s seeming faceoff with its former National Chairman, Chief Uche Secondus, he remained a friend to several members.

“Secondus is particularly my friend and many other members of the party, and we do not have any problem with him.”