The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reportedly zoned its national chairmanship position to the Southwest, while the north gets its secretary position.
The recommendation to zone the chairmanship to the south was contained in a document prepared by the PDP’s 44-member National Convention Committee on zoning.
In the leaked document seen by PUNCH on Wednesday, the committee disclosed that South West got the chairmanship position because the zone has not produced the party’s national chairman since its inception
The committee chaired by the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, will meet on Thursday (today).
According to the document, members considered the past distribution pattern of the geopolitical zones that produced chairmen and came to the conclusion that the South-West deserved to get the slot.
Committee members noted that before Uche Secondus’ emergence as the national chairman, no fewer than 12 members from the South-West aspired to lead the party before it was taken to the South-South.
The distribution pattern as considered by the party is that the North-Central has produced five past chairmen in persons of Chief Solomon Lar, Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbeh, Ahmadu Ali and Kawu Baraje; while the North-East has produced three chairmen in persons of Dr Bamanga Tukur, Dr Adamu Muazu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
The North-West produced two – Dr Haliru Bello and Senator Ahmed Makarfi; the South East produced two – Vincent Ogbulafor and Okwesilieze Nwodo; while the South-South produced Secondus both as acting and as substantive chairman.
The document read: “It is now clearly seen that the national chairmanship position has stayed long in the North, and particularly dominant in the North-Central. The South-West had never been given the opportunity.
“In actual fact, it is was an issue generally acknowledged that the national chairmanship was aspired by no fewer than 12 aspirants from South-West before the twist that took it to the South-South.”
It’s reliably been informed that the party has decided to zone the presidential ticket in 2023 to the Northwest, based on its believe that the north with its huge electoral size, would be of benefit to the party as the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, is being said to have concluded on zoning it’s the presidential ticket to the South.
In this regard, the Vice-presidential ticket of the PDP would be zoned to the SouthSouth, the Senate President to the Southeast, Speaker to North Central and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, to the Northeast.
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However, it is yet to be seen if the party’s NEC will endorse the zoning arrangement, even though the northern presidency maybe a concluded issue with the party.
Newsflash Nigeria learnt that no fewer than four chairmanship aspirants have so far shown interest from the South-West zone.
They include former governors Ayo Fayose, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, erstwhile deputy national chairman, Olabode George and Eyitayo Jegede, SAN the party’s governorship candidate in the last election in the state.
Though the party has remained silent on the zoning of its presidential ticket, no one was yet to signify interest from the South.
It is an open secret that the former vice president Atiku Abubakar and the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal are known to be interested in flying the flag of the party.
