•Sheriff outsmarts party leaders

•North-East to produce national chairman

•Governors meet over recommendations

•Bode George reads riot act to chairman

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, seems to have won a major battle in his quest to remain in office. The zoning committee, headed by Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State, has zoned the national chairman of the party to the North-East. Sheriff is from Borno State in the North-East.

The zoning arrangement proposed by the committee, according to the source, include: Deputy National Chairman (South-South); National Secretary (South-West); Organising Secretary (South-East); Publicity Secretary (South-West); Women Leader (North- West) and Treasurer (North Central).

The zoning of the 12 National Working Committee (NWC) offices of the party is, however, tearing the party apart. Some party leaders are kicking against the zoning of the national chairmanship in the North-East, saying it is the handiwork of Sheriff. “He wants to perpetuate himself in office and we will fight against this imposition,” one of the leaders of the party told New Telegraph.

But a political associate of the national chairman told New Telegraph that the issue is beyond Sheriff. “It is basically on how to reposition the party,” he said. Impeccable sources told New Telegraph that the Udom committee, on Friday, failed to reach a consensus on the zoning of the chairmanship of the party.

The committee, which met in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, was divided over the retention of the National Chairmanship position by the North-East. In 2012, PDP zoned its National Chairman to the North-East. Dr. Bamanga Tukur from Adamawa State was elected in 2012 for four years. His tenure was cut short and former governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Mu’azu, was brought on board to complete Tukur’s tenure.

Mu’azu was also forced to quit following the failure of the party to win the 2015 presidential election. Prince Uche Secondus, the deputy national chairman, was brought on board in acting capacity until the emergence of Sheriff in February. A source at the meeting told New Telegraph that majority of the committee members supported the choice of North-East to produce the national chairman at the May 21st national convention on the strength that the party is weak in the North.

The Udom committee reasoned that the party needs to win back the confidence of the people of the north in view of the disenchantment in the region as witnessed in the 2015 general elections. “The committee believes that as at today, PDP is weak in the North, controlling only two out of the 19 states.

We believe there is urgent need to strengthen the party in the North by zoning the national chairmanship to the North-East. As in every democratic organisation, there are always divergent views. We can’t zone the position to the South where the party is in control of 10 states.

So, the choice of the North- East is to strengthen the PDP. Also, the decision is to win back the confidence of the North. Don’t forget that the North has not forgiven the PDP for its inability to produce the presidential candidate of the party in 2015,” the source said.

Udom, who briefed journalists after the meeting, said the committee has agreed on the zoning arrangement for the 12 National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. He, however, said that this was subject to adoption by the National Executive Committee (NEC).

PDP Governors’ Forum has scheduled a meeting in Abuja today to take a final decision on the zoning arrangement. The Forum will discuss the proposed zoning arrangement by the Udom committee before its ratification by NEC. PDP ward congresses begin this Saturday, the first leg towards the election of its national officers on May 21. Contacted, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George, said that the committee had a right to recommend anything it wanted.

He said the true test of the committee’s work would come when they submit their reports to the NWC, which would, in turn, pass it to the party’s caucus, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the NEC. George told New Telegraph that if the committee were able to defend the zoning arrangement before these organs of the party, the position would stand. But if not, it would be thrown away.

“I have no problems with the recommendations of the committee. It is only a committee. When we meet them, they will explain to us how they arrived at that. PDP is not controlled by one man. It has the visions of the founding fathers. “If we are not satisfied and they insist, we will land in court.

They will have to tell us how they arrived at it. We will listen to them and have a debate. It is not a private company. If they convince us, we will agree. But if not, we will throw it out. That is my position.” “The zoning is still unofficial. The recommendation will still go to NEC for ratification,” a member of the NWC told New Telegraph.

The party has already decided to choose its presidential candidate in 2019 from the North. The permutation is that ahead of the 2019 presidency, the national chairman from the North will relinquish the position to a southerner. This is to prevent a situation where the two offices will come from the North.

The resolution of the Udom Committee was predictive. There have been calls from some quarters for Sheriff to contest the May 21 National Convention. A delegation from the South-West, led by Senator Kashamu Buruji, expressed fears that PDP would be branded a regional party if the National Chairman is chosen from the South.

Some elements in the South-South were also said to be rooting for the North to retain the chairmanship position. A source at the PDP National Secretariat revealed that Sheriff had cashed on the prompting of the two zones where the next chairman ought to have come from, to intensify lobbying for the position. He was said to have reached out to some stakeholders, including former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) for support.

The National Chairman also played host to former elected governors and deputy governors who are still in the party. A national officer of the party confided in New Telegraph that Sheriff wants to remain in office till 2018, but said this is contrary to PDP constitution, which allows four-year tenure.

“The issue is nobody can say I want to become a chairman from now till 2018; the constitution says no. We have no grudge against him (Sheriff) becoming chairman, but he should follow the constitution strictly,” he said. Acting Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jubrin, advised Sheriff to shun praise singers who want him to remain in office beyond the three months approved by various organs of the party.

“The recent courtesy calls to the national chairman and the presentations being made, especially calling him to continue beyond the stipulated three-month tenure, is an invitation to trouble, anarchy and the return of impunity in PDP,” Jubrin stated.

Last week, a branded vehicle with the picture of the National Chairman suddenly appeared at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja. The branded campaign vehicle (a Honda Pilot), which was sponsored by the North West Youth Organisation (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara), parked all day at the PDP National Secretariat.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, described the organisation as “overzealous people.”

“The chairman has not even said he is contesting; the zoning committee has not submitted its report. The chairman is not even aware of this, he did not come to office today,” Metuh had said. He, however, agreed that there was nothing wrong in an individual or group campaigning for a candidate of their choice. Sheriff was elected in February to serve out the tenure of the North-East.

http://newtelegraphonline.com/zoning-divides-pdp/

Politics is really a game of interest in this country. It's not even national interest but personal interest where politicians concerned use the good of all for themselves alone.
Across the party lines, I insist, these politicians do not differ. Even when they have good intentions before elections, they will reninge on their promises afer the election.
What a shame

Fake news and propaganda. Telegraph ko teleport ni.