Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Leading stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State have begun a lobby to have the coveted position of National Publicity Secretary of the party zoned to the state.
Under the recently approved zoning arrangement released by the National Caretaker Committee of the PDP, the North-central has been asked to produce the next spokesman of the party at the proposed national convention coming up later in the month.
As part of the lobby, a political interest group, the PDP Kwara Support Group, has reached out to the North-central zone leadership urging it to be fair to the state on the basis of equity and justice to reconsider and zone the office of the National Publicity Secretary to the State.
The Kwara support group leader specifically appealed to Professor Jerry Gana, Senator David Mark, Alhaji Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Senator Jonah Jang, Ex-Governors Gabriel Suswan, Idris Wada, Abdulkadir Kure, Babangida Aliyu and all other key stakeholders that have influence to favour Kwara State PDP.
In its appeal contained in a letter to the leadership of the party in the North-central zone, the group said it believed that allowing the state to produce the next PDP spokesman would rally the people together towards reinvigorated strong PDP in Kwara State ahead of 2019.
“The appeal as a clarion call and SOS is targeted at the leadership comprising of all the six states chairmen and secretaries, youth leaders, zonal treasurers and women leaders in the North-central zone alongside with the two per state key stakeholders caucus members to graciously reconsider the zoning arrangement to as it affects the office of National Publicity Secretary to favour Kwara State.
The leader of the group Olanrewaju Olokode, urged leaders of the state chapters of the party in the zone to be allow good reasons and brotherliness to prevail and to concede the post to Kwara state.
“We need the position to rally our people together for a reinvigorated strong PDP in Kwara State ahead of 2019,” he said,
Olokode noted that Benue State had for 8 years enjoyed the senate presidency a slot of the North-central geo-political zone.
According to him, in the 2011 and 2015 presidential elections our zonal coordinator was then Governor of Benue State; Gabriel Suswan.
“Our sister state Benue has had a good fair share of North-central zone ztates collective stake. The group therefore appeal and make a strong case that the office of the PDP National Publicity Secretary be conceded to Kwara State in the spirit of friendly relationship, equity, justice and good political calculation ahead of 2019 elections. Insisting that they have several worthy materials to fill the office that will be acceptable to the zone and nationally,” he said.
