Southern PDP Governors tip S/East for National Secretary

Indications emerged on Monday that Southern Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors may have resolved to cede the party’s National Secretary to the Southeast.

The position is one of the key party offices zoned to the South two weeks ago by the Zoning Committee of the PDP chaired by Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Party sources hinted on Monday that the southern Governors will be meeting in Benin City, the Edo state capital on Tuesday to harmonise their position on the matter.

Ongoing consultations across the six geopolitical zones over micro-zoning of the various offices allotted to them have delayed the sale of nomination forms, which was supposed to have started yesterday.

Going by the timetable released by the leadership of the party, the sale of the forms is expected to end this Friday. Each chairmanship aspirant is expected to pay N5 million as nomination fee.

The fee for the position of Deputy Chairman is N3 million while the National Secretary aspirants and others are required to pay N2 million. Each contestant for the position of Deputy will pay N750, 000.

The timetable for the October 30-31 convention, released by the party last week, indicated that screening of all aspirants for national offices is slated for Monday October 18, while hearing of appeals arising from disputes, is slated for October 21.

Publication of names of assistants cleared for the various positions is slated for October 23, to be followed by a meeting of the National Working Committee where the list of delegates to vote at the convention will be adopted on October 25.

A notice issued last week by the National Organising Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd) had stated: “All potential aspirants for various party offices at the national level are therefore advised to purchase their expression of interest and nomination forms at the national secretriat of the party in Abuja from Monday October 11 to Friday October 15, 2021”.

In addition to National Secretary, other key positions zoned to the South include the National Publicity Secretary, National Woman Leader, Financial Secretary and National Auditor among others.

It was gathered that the decision to cede the National Secretary to the Southeast was informed by the sharp division among party leaders in the Southwest zone.

Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde and a former Ekiti Governor Ayo Fayose are leading two opposing camps in Southwest PDP.

The two camps have failed to reconcile their positions despite a series of reconciliatory efforts initiated by various stakeholders within the leadership of the PDP.

The two camps have been going in opposite directions on virtually every decision needed to be taken on behalf of the Southwest zone and have been taking conflicting positions on issues.

Similarly, stakeholders in the North are also said to be engaged in broad consultations over the position of National Chairman zoned to the region.

No fewer than eight aspirants from the region have so far indicated interest in the chairmanship position, with the list growing longer by the day.

Some of the aspirants include a former Senate President, David Mark; a former Katsina Governor, Ibrahim Shema; a former Gombe Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo and a former Kogi governor, Ibrahim Idris.

Others are a former Kaduna Governor, Ahmed Makarfi and another former Senate President, Dr Iyorchia Ayu among others.