PDP NEC Meets Today to Ratify Zoning

Chuks Okocha

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is scheduled to meet today to ratify the zoning of offices of members of the National Working Committee (NWC) for the October 30 and 31st national convention.

The meeting has, however, been preceded by several horse-trading to determine, who occupies the office of the national chairman, already zoned to the north.

Outgoing National Secretary of PDP, Senator Umar Tsuari, had Monday summoned an emergency NEC to discuss and approve the report of the zoning committee on the offices of the membership of the National Working Committee.

Last week, in a landmark resolution, the National Convention Zoning Committee (NCZC) led by the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had swapped the offices for the NWC between North and South.

By implication, the office of the national chairman formerly in the south went to the north, and the office of the national secretary in the north moved to the south

Also, the NEC will discuss and approve the budget for the convention.

However, the NCZC, on Tuesday, submitted its report to the NWC for onward transmission to the NEC

But northern PDP stakeholders had since begun to consider the options of who becomes the national chairman zoned to it.

The two zones of North West and North Central were in contest for the national chairmanship of the PDP.

According to a member of the PDP northern stakeholders and member of NEC, the name of a former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, who was governor for eight years and deputy national chairman, has started to feature as a consensus successor to Uche Secondus

Though all the offices are elective, the northern stakeholders wanted a consensus approach, except where it was not possible to reach a consensus

Shema topped other considerations because of experience, but some other stakeholders were said to be opposed to him because he has a pending Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) case.

The source said the party stakeholders were wary of harassment by the EFCC should he become the national chairman, and apart from that, he is generally accepted.

Besides, the northwest had produced only two national chairmen in the persons of a former governor of Katsina State, Ahmed Maikerif and Dr Harilu Bellingham, who acted briefly when Vincent Ogbulafor was removed from office. In the North Central zone, the name of a former President, David Mark, came up, but sources claimed that the northern stakeholders were less enthusiastic, because the zone has produced more national chairmen.

“The North West has produced Solomon Lar. He was from Plateau state. He took over from the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme. Audu Ogbeh, Barnabas Gemade came from Benue State, while Abubakar Baraje from Kwara State and Dr. Ahmadu Ali.

“In North east, the zone has produced Alhaji Bamanga Tukur from Adamawa State and Adamu Muazu from Bauchi State “

The source explained that the northern stakeholders were looking for balancing and a national chairman from a state that was not under the control of PDP, so as to strengthen the party in the zone.

Some PDP governors with presidential ambition, it was learnt, didn’t want a national chairman from their zone as it could hamper their ambition.

THISDAY gathered that if the office of the national chairman went to the North West, there was the likelihood that the north central would bid for the office of the National Organising Secretary, considered the engine room of the party, while another important office, the National Legal Adviser, will be zoned to the North East.

In the permutations, it was gathered that the vice national chairman of the PDP in the South-south, Dan Orbih, was being pushed for the office of the national deputy chairman of the party.

Today’s NEC, however, it was gathered would set the nomination fees for all aspirants for the October 30 and 31 national convention.