Deploys War Chest To North, Mulls Sheriff’s return, Shekarau As Deputy Chair North
Zoning Knocks Out Majority NWC Members Seeking Return
By Peter Ossai In Uyo
The zoning committee of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP has cautioned members against giving chance to fifth columnists masquerading under different groups to distract them from repositioning and recapturing power in 2019, even as it called on all members to avail themselves for services towards a successful convention in Port Harcourt on May 21.
Coming against the background of sponsored campaigns against the party’s planned convention on May 21, the chairman of the convention committee, alongside other notable speakers at its inaugural meeting in Uyo, last Saturday decried the activities of those working to derail efforts and kicking the PDP back to live.
This is even as te hues and cries of where the National Chairmanship of the Peoples democratic Party, PDP, should go to at the next National Convention slated for Port Harcourt has been put to rest in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, with the zoning of the office to the North East, where the incumbent Chairman, senator Ali Modu Sheriff comes from.
Giving reasons for its action at a meeting of the Zoning committee of the party, presided over by its chairman and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, the party announced that given the dismal outing of the PDP in the north during the last elections, and being the weaker link under the current disposition, the party needs to deploy its war chest to the region.
Speaking to our correspondent after the meeting last Saturday in Uyo, participants said zoning committee deliberated over the submissions of all six geo political zones, which zoned the position to the North, but differed other discussions for its next meeting in Abuja, where it will make its recommendations public.
Our correspondent reports that, the Northern Caucus in the zoning committee, headed by former Kano State Govewrnor Ibrahim Shekarau had earlier presented a position to the zoning Committee, in which the position was conceded to the North East, so also the South West under the leadership of Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun, the south East under Senator Hope Uzodima, and the South/South led by governor Nyeson Wike of Rivers state concurred with the zoning.
With this development, Senator ali Modu stands a chance of returning as substantive chairman, with feelers indicating that former Kano state Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau may come in as deputy national Chairman north, to spearhead the rebuilding of the nPDP from the north West axis, even as the current arrangement may have knocked out some current members of the working committee who may have been scheming to come back.
Sources from the zoning Committee meeting confirmed to nationalTRAIL that, of the twelve national Working Committee members, the south has seven while the north retains five, with the Deputy National Chairman remaining in the South/South, the National Secretary retained by the South West, even as the Organizing Secretary now taken by the South East, while the Pub;icity Secretary goes to the south West because of the comparative advantage the region has in the media.
The national Legal Adviser was zoned to the South/South because of its exposure to the legal profession, the national Woman Leader was zoned to the North/ West, National Treasurer to North/ Central, National Auditor to South/ East and National Financial Secretary also to the North/ West. The proposal which will be ratified by the NEC of the party, according to members, took cognizance of the comparative disadvantage of the North and the need to neutralize the selling points of the ruling APC.
By Peter Ossai In Uyo
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