PDP Convention: Southwest split over Oyinlola, Arapaja as Ayu, Anyanwu, others to resume December 9

The constitution of the incoming National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be a test of strength by governors and elders of the party.

The NWC will emerge at the National Convention which gets underway later today in Abuja after the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt yesterday gave the green light for the meeting to proceed.

It turned down an application by the suspended National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus to stop the convention.

Party members, including Secondus’ estranged chief supporter, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the Southwest zonal hierarchy of the PDP hailed the party’s victory at the court and assailed the suspended chairman for the litigation.

“Anybody who crosses our way to stop this rescue of Nigeria, the person is an enemy of this country,” Wike said in Port Harcourt moments after the court ruling, adding that Secondus’ action was aimed at sabotaging the party.

The Southwest PDP wondered why “a man who has benefited so much from the party seeks to destroy it.”

Secondus was dissatisfied with the ruling and vowed to take his grievances to the Supreme Court “as no abuse of the constitution of our dear party should be allowed to stand.”

Investigation revealed that governors and elders of the party are locked in a battle of wits to put their loyalists in the new National Working Committee (NWC).

Horse-trading in the last few days shows that old forces in the party are losing ground to new ones.

The emerging power brokers are governors, especially Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Ifeanyi Uguwanyi (Enugu) and Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta).

Some of the old forces still pulling some weight are a former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State and a former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Maina Waziri.

The governors and other stakeholders launched into a crucial meeting last night in Abuja on the fate of ex-Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a trusted ally of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Inna Ciroma (the wife of a founding father of PDP, the late Adamu Ciroma).

It was gathered that Inna Ciroma has been under intense pressure in the last 48 hours to step down.

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Oyinlola who is seeking to be the Deputy National Chairman (South) is locked in a battle with Taofeek Arapaja, who is the anointed candidate of Governor Seyi Makinde.

The meeting was meant to find a common ground on who between Oyinlola and Arapaja should get the position.

Those at the enlarged stakeholders meeting held at the Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, included the 13 governors elected on the platform of the party.

Others were NEC members, Board of Trustees (BoT) members, National Working Committee members, National Assembly members, former governors and former cabinet ministers, among others.

At the meeting were the immediate past Vice President, Namadi Sambo, who was attending the party’s function for the first time since he left office in 2015; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Senate Presidents David Mark, Adolphus Wabara and Pius Anyim; and former PDP national chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo.

Also present were former Governors Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Peter Obi (Anambra); and Emeka Ihedioha (Imo).

Efforts by party leaders to pick one of the contestants as a consensus candidate has failed to yield positive results.

Governor Makinde of Oyo State, backing Arapaja for the position, is said to have secured the buy-in of his 12 other colleagues on the choice.

But some elders and leaders are rooting for Oyinlola. Their position is premised on the need for the party to beef up its support base in states where the PDP does not have a sitting governor. They claim that while Makinde is on the ground in Oyo to lead the party’s mobilisation drive toward the 2023 general elections, Oyinlola should be empowered to strengthen the party structure in Osun and be a rallying point for the party.

It was on the basis of this calculation that the PDP deliberately zoned its critical elective positions in the National Working Committee (NWC) to states where the party does not have governors.

A source said: “It was for this reason that the National Secretary was micro-zoned to Imo State and the Deputy National Chairman (North) micro-zoned to Yobe State where the PDP does not have sitting governors.

“The argument of some of our leaders who expressed a presence for Arapaja was that Oyinlola defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014.

“These leaders have chosen to forget that Arapaja also defected to the APC about the same time. What about some of our high ranking chieftains who defected to the APC in 2014 and who worked hard to ensure that the PDP lost the 2015 presidential elections.

“Some of these leaders are occupying prominent elective positions in government on the platform of the PDP today with some of them aspiring to get the party’s presidential ticket for the 2023 election.

“To some of us, this is double standard which may not help the party in the long run.”

The meeting was also expected to take a final position on the Deputy National Chairman (North), which is being contested by Alhaji Umar Damagum and Mrs. Inna Ciroma.  The party had yet to take a final position on who to consider for the position between the two contestants from Yobe State.

Answering a question on the party’s position on the matter, the chairman of the Convention Organising Committee, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, said during a briefing earlier yesterday that the matter was still being resolved.

Fintiri said: “We are still deliberating on who to go for the office between the two contestants. But we have resolved that the two will not contest at the convention. One of them must step down for the other.”

Meanwhile, last-minute preparations for the convention continued in earnest up to yesterday’s judgment.

There was a flurry of activities at the expansive Eagle Square, Abuja, designated venue for the convention as party members and hired hands were observed performing one task or the other.

Canopies have been erected and the main podium and brightly decorated in the red, green, white signature colours of the PDP.

Also, posters of contestants in varying sizes adorned strategic locations at the venue.

Investigation revealed that all the key actors have been trying to outwit each other in their battle for the soul of PDP.

About 27 aspirants have got the clearance to contest for 21 offices at the National Convention. The offices are National Chairman, National Deputy Chairman (North), Deputy National Chairman (South), National Secretary, Deputy National Secretary, National Treasurer, Deputy National Treasurer, National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Financial Secretary, National Organising Secretary and Deputy National Organising Secretary.

The remaining posts are those of National Publicity Secretary, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, National Legal Adviser, Deputy National Legal Adviser, National Auditor, Deputy National Auditor, National Women’s Leader and Deputy National Leader and National Youth Leader and Deputy National Youth Leader.

Investigation shows that while the Wike-Ortom/governors alliance is producing the new National Chairman of PDP, Iyorchia Ayu (who will be adopted today), the deal with the governors led to the ceding of the office of the National Secretary to Wike.

It was learnt that to the discomfiture of all the stakeholders in the Southeast, Wike has succeeded in anointing Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of PDP.

“In the power-sharing arrangement, all the PDP governors have been accommodated in one way or the other under the Consensus Option which was adopted by them,” a well-placed party source said.

“They also agreed that where some aspirants have chosen to defy consensus to contest, all the governors will direct their delegates to vote for the mutually agreed ones.

“So far, the pact by the governors has led to Wike, Ortom, Fintiri, Okowa, Bala, Saraki, Tambuwal, Makinde, Ugwuanyi, Ikpeazu leading the new generation of power brokers in PDP.

“It was a smart and strategic move by Saraki which made his camp to secure the post of National Legal Adviser, which is the soul of the party.”

Responding to a question, the source said: “I think the offices yet to be resolved through consensus are Deputy National Chairman (North), Deputy National Chairman (South) and National Auditor.

“Governors and party leaders have been trying to prevail on Inna Ciroma to withdraw for Iliya Damagum, who has been adopted as the consensus candidate for the office of Deputy National Chairman (North). But she is yet to do so.

“For the Deputy National Chairman (South), Governor Seyi Makinde has insisted on Taofeek Arapaja but ex-Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola is adamant that he will slug it out at the convention. We expect a royal battle at the convention ground.

“The founding fathers of PDP and the military elements in the party have decided to rally round Oyinlola.

“Concerning the office of National Auditor, the governors have mutually conceded the slot to Sir Obi Okechukwu from Anambra State, but Sam Ben Nwosu, a close associate of a former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, said he will contest.”

Meanwhile, the National Chairman designate of the PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu and other national party officers to be elected at the national convention later today will assume duties on December 9, chairman of the Convention Organising Committee, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, announced yesterday in Abuja.

By implication, the present national officers will remain in office till December 8 when their four-year tenure expires.

Speaking on what to expect at the convention, Fintiri said that of the 21 available party offices, only three will be contested for.

He listed the three as the Deputy National Chairman (South) with Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja vying for the position.

Also in contention is the position of National Auditor, with three candidates slugging it out. The contestants are Okechukwu Obiechina Daniel, Ikechukwu Samben Nwosu and Mrs Chibuogwu Benson-Oraelosi.

Similarly, Muhammed Kadade Suleiman and Usman Elkudan will be vying for the position of National Youth Leader.

Governor Fintiri also said that the party’s Screening Appeal Panel had affirmed the disqualification of all the aspirants who were barred for contesting for positions at the convention by the Screening Committee.

He added that the Appeal Committee threw out the petitions filed against Arapaja and Samuel Anyanwu who are candidates for Deputy National Chairman (South) and National Secretary respectively.

No fewer than 3600 delegates are expected to vote at the convention.

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