PDP: Atiku, Tambuwal, Saraki Push For National Chairman From South

FRESH info emerged yesterday that intrigues and horse-trading accounted for the Peoples Democratic Social gathering’s delay in arriving at a zoning method for its Nationwide Conference.

The Nation investigation revealed that permutations over the 2023 elections have overwhelmed the social gathering’s ongoing consideration of zoning of workplaces.

It was gathered that some serial presidential aspirants from the North, including ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and ex-Governor Sule Lamido are pushing for the retention of the 2017 method which can see the South occupying the Nationwide Chairman’s seat.

The workplaces to be stuffed on the conference scheduled for October 30 embody the Nationwide Chairman, Deputy Nationwide Chairman (North), Deputy Nationwide Chairman (South); Nationwide Secretary; Deputy Nationwide Secretary; Nationwide Monetary Secretary; Nationwide Organising Secretary; Nationwide Treasurer; Nationwide Auditor; Nationwide Authorized Adviser; Nationwide Publicity Secretary; Nationwide Youth Chief and Nationwide Ladies Chief.

There have been additionally indications yesterday that the Southwest zone is being thought-about for the chairmanship of the social gathering with a former governor from the zone who has lengthy indicated curiosity within the race being favoured amongst different contestants.

A session of the Zoning Committee of the social gathering, headed by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, in Enugu on Thursday was inconclusive.

Some PDP leaders from the North met on Tuesday and agreed on a zoning method that may result in the retention of the 2017 energy sharing format.

However the proposals from the affected Northern leaders have led to intrigues and divergent opinions amongst PDP governors and social gathering bigwigs.

It was gathered that whereas some social gathering leaders are demanding that each one workplaces be thrown open with out recourse to zoning, some basis members, some governors from the North and the South, together with Nyesom Wike,  are insisting on strict adherence to the rotation of social gathering workplaces in anticipation of energy shift to the South in 2023.

Some social gathering leaders, particularly members of the Nationwide Govt Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the PDP, are nonetheless nervous that there aren’t any presidential aspirants from the Southwest, the Southeast and the South-south with sufficient clout to win the presidential ballot in 2023.

The governors and social gathering leaders in query claimed that it has been troublesome to get a presidential aspirant who can entice mass followership from the North and the South just like the late Chief M.Ok.O Abiola and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo forward of the 2023 election.

A prime supply, who spoke in confidence, stated: “The reality is that calculations over the probabilities of PDP in 2023 are delaying the zoning of social gathering workplaces. There are a lot of intrigues on zoning as a result of the form of the social gathering workplaces will outline the presidential slot of the social gathering.

“Overlook the assuaging feedback of the Chairman of the Zoning Committee, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, that his panel has no mandate to resolve on zoning of President and Vice President tickets. Zoning of social gathering workplaces determines the presidential and vice presidential slots.

“So, for these fascinated about contesting the presidential ticket of the social gathering in 2023, the zoning of workplaces is essential to their ambition. However they’re partaking in what I’ll name proxy conflict or lobbying.

“As soon as the Nationwide Chairman emerges from North or South, the presidential candidate of the social gathering will alternate accordingly. So, the zoning method could make or mar the ambition of any presidential aspirant.”

The supply stated there have been suspicions that among the Northern PDP leaders who met on Tuesday night time in Abuja have been working for Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal, Lamido and different Northern presidential aspirants, who he stated made a robust case for the social gathering’s retention of its 2017 zoning method.

He added: “Though all of the aspirants have saved quiet on the zoning method, all their strategists and loyalists are neck-deep in zoning politics. The roll name on the session was instructive.

“A few of these on the assembly have been Dr. Iyorchia Ayu; a former Minister of Ladies Affairs, Hajia Inna Ciroma; ex-governors Attahiru Bafarawa, Babangida Aliyu, Sule Lamido and Boni Haruna; a former Nationwide Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; a former Minister of Particular Duties Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and Hon. Theophillus Dakkas Shan.

“Others included Senator Zainab Kure; Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya; Dr. Akilu Indabawa; Hon. Galadima Abba; Hon. Mukhtar Ahmed; Hajiya Hauwa Musa Kida; Hon. Manu Swa; Mrs. Launrentia Mallam and Dr. Aminu Abdullahi, amongst others.

“The sport is so overwhelming that the Zoning Committee is managing it with care to keep away from something that might erode the unity of the social gathering.”

Responding to a query, the supply stated: “The Northern PDP leaders have been of the opinion that there aren’t any robust presidential aspirants within the South that might earn a broad-based North-South help for PDP to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.

“The permutation is that the APC must be overwhelmed to its 12 million votes within the North.”

Conflict over 2017 method as Southeast, South-South go for VP

Investigation additionally revealed that some Southern PDP leaders have been tinkering with Possibility B in case the social gathering’s chairmanship slot is retained within the South as was the case in 2017.

Findings revealed that PDP leaders from the South-South are already plotting to safe the place of the vice presidential candidate of the social gathering in opposition to the Southeast which received identical in 2019.

The argument of the South-South is that its voting power is larger than that of the Southeast.

A celebration supply stated: “We’re caught in zoning politics in such a fashion that if it isn’t properly managed, it could actually eat the social gathering or undermine its electoral fortunes.

“Whereas some social gathering leaders have been adamant on the 2017 zoning method, the South-South is now making an attempt to displace the Southeast for the vp ticket. It means the South-South PDP leaders are plotting to change the 2019 energy equation. That is unhealthy for PDP.

“They’re saying that since election is a sport of quantity, PDP is stronger within the South-South than within the Southeast. They claimed that other than having six states, the South-South garnered 2,233,232 votes for PDP through the 2019 presidential election as in opposition to the Southeast’s 1,693,485.”

As at press time, Governor Nyesom Wike was additionally stated to have an interest within the VP slot with ex-Governor Peter Obi and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa additionally stated to be within the race.

Talking with our correspondent, a former governor, who was in Enugu on the final session, stated:  “We now have an enormous problem on our arms. We must be large-hearted once we reconvene on Thursday to finalise our choice on zoning. We should give and take within the general curiosity of PDP in 2023.

“I hope the continued consultations and negotiations will result in a consensus which may also help PDP to dislodge APC from energy.”

Social gathering mulls consensus chairmanship candidate from S/West

Indications emerged yesterday that PDP leaders and key stakeholders could accept a consensus candidate for the place of Nationwide Chairman forward of the social gathering’s nationwide conference billed to carry on October 30.

Inside sources confided in our correspondent yesterday that the Southwest zone was being thought-about for the chairmanship, with a former governor from the zone who has lengthy indicated curiosity within the race favoured amongst different contestants.

One of many sources, who spoke with our correspondent on situation of anonymity as a result of he was not authorised to talk on the matter, stated the choice was taken at a stakeholders’ assembly in Abuja on Thursday night time.

Responding to a query, the supply stated: “Sure, it’s true {that a} former governor from the Southwest is being thought-about as a consensus candidate for the chairmanship due to his maturity and previous expertise in social gathering administration on the nationwide degree.

“After broad consultations, we dominated out any state the place the PDP at present has a sitting governor, to keep away from the kind of management disaster that the social gathering is presently passing by.

“We don’t need a state of affairs the place a sitting chairman can be beholden to a sitting governor of his house state, just like the case we now have in hand and which we now have been battling to resolve up to now few weeks.

“Nevertheless, the choice to current a consensus candidate is just not last but and we now have not foreclosed the opportunity of having different aspirants becoming a member of the race, as a result of we are able to’t cease different certified members from contesting.”

Thus far, three aspirants from the Southwest are believed to have indicated curiosity within the chairmanship place. They embody a former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; quick previous governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayo Fayose and the PDP candidate within the 2020 Ondo State governorship election, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN.

However Jegede was on Thursday appointed the Deputy Chairman of the Structure Assessment Committee, a sub-committee of the Nationwide Conference Organising Committee chaired by the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri.

By implication, his function as member of a sub-committee of a mother or father committee charged with the accountability of organising the conference could represent a conflict of curiosity ought to he resolve to contest for the place of social gathering chairman in the identical conference.

Stating among the elements for which the stated former governor is being thought-about for the chairmanship, one other social gathering supply stated his neutrality within the numerous management crises at each the nationwide and Southwest zonal ranges has been an enormous benefit.

“Recall that the particular person in view was deeply concerned within the numerous reconciliatory efforts through the management disaster that rocked the Southwest PDP shortly earlier than the current zonal congress in that zone.

“He’s additionally being thought-about primarily based on the truth that he has by no means been related to any of the factions within the protracted management disaster on the nationwide degree that led to the suspension of Prince Uche Secondus as Nationwide Chairman.

“With our expertise within the current previous, leaders and elders of our nice social gathering have resolved that the subsequent nationwide chairman won’t emerge from a state the place the PDP has a sitting governor, to keep away from a repeat of the issues that introduced the social gathering to the current disaster state of affairs.

“Everyone knows how Secondus, who’s from Rivers State, emerged as nationwide chairman in 2017 and the function his house governor performed in making certain his emergence, even though it was the Southwest that was being thought-about for the place on the time.

“It turned a case of ‘he who pays the piper dictates the tune’, however alongside the road, the ‘falcon determined to disregard the falconer’ and the social gathering ended up in what we now see as a no-win state of affairs,” the supply added.

Following fruitless efforts to resolve the lingering management disaster triggered by the animosity between Secondus and the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, stakeholders within the social gathering have resolved to deal with the matter as a disaster within the native chapter of Rivers PDP.

Recall that Secondus was first suspended by his Ward chapter, adopted by one other suspension order from his native authorities chapter. The suspension order was upheld by a Excessive Court docket in Port Harcourt and the embattled chairman is at present battling to upturn the order on the Court docket of Enchantment.