Taminu Turaki Emerges Northern Choice for PDP National Chair

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Northern stakeholders in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), last night, adopted former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki, as its consensus candidate for the national chairman of the party ahead of the Ibadan national convention billed for next month.

The decision was disclosed by the governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintri.

Fintri, however, said anyone else who wanted to contest the office of the national chairman from the north was free to do so.

Those with Fintiri when he made the announcement were former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro.

The decision followed an earlier gathering, which underscored PDP’s push for unity and strategic alignment ahead of its convention.

Prominent northern PDP leaders, including Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara were at the meting.

Equally present was PDP National Chairman, Iliya Damagum, who along with others in the closed-door deliberations at the Maitama residence of former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, settled for Turaki.

The meeting was a follow-up to an earlier northern PDP stakeholders’ forum held in Abuja over the weekend.

The PDP leaders met to decide, among other things, the offices zoned to the north and to agree on the micro-zoning.

THISDAY gathered that the meeting, which had to decide between Makarfi and Turaki the choice for national chairman of the party, settled for the latter.

Other offices decided at the meeting included who would be picked as National Organising Secretary zoned to the North-east.

The office of National Secretary of the party was zoned to the South-west, while the offices of National Publicity Secretary and Deputy National Chairman were zoned to the South-south.

All PDP senators and members of the House of Representatives attended the meeting.