By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor

When Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), announced on Thursday that it had zoned the position of the national chairman of the party to the north, many Nigerians were surprised.

Before the dramatic turn of events, the body language of the party had led many to conclude that they planned to retain the chairmanship in the south while the presidential candidate in the 2023 elections will come from the north.

Most of those who jostled for the chairmanship seat, including Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former governor of Osun State, are all southerners.
On the other hand, many of those rumoured to be nursing presidential ambition, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, are northerners.

Even when the party constituted a 44-member Zoning Committee headed by Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, ahead of the National Convention scheduled to hold October 30 and 31, the committee met twice last week in Enugu but was unable to reach a consensus on the subject.

That was when the PDP Governors Forum stepped in.

A source privy to the behind the scenes intrigues that finally took the chairmanship seat to the north told TheNiche on Saturday that even the governors could not arrive at a consensus and opted for election in a bid to break the impasse and save the party from implosion.

According to the highly placed source who pleaded anonymity, northerners were fully mobilized to wrestle the presidential ticket from the south.

But the governors saved the day for the prospects of a southern presidential candidate.

While the ruling APC controls 22 states, the PDP is in charge of 13. The remaining one state, Anambra, is led by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Narrating what happened, our source said: “When the 44-member zoning committee could not agree, the governors stepped in and held a meeting on Wednesday night at the Akwa Ibom governor’s residence in Abuja.

“It was a marathon meeting and the governors elected on the platform of the PDP wanted to achieve a consensus on the contentious issue of party leadership but it was not possible and they opted for election.

“After the defection of three PDP governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the party now has 13 governors under the umbrella of the PDP Governors Forum chaired by the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal.

“Of the 13, five – Tambuwal (Sokoto State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi State), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa State) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba State) are from the north while the remaining eight are from the south – Oyo, Enugu, Abia, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Rivers, Bayelsa.

“When it came to voting, Tambuwal who presided over the meeting as the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, abstained. But three of his colleagues from the north – Bala Mohammed, Ahmadu Fintirin and Darius Ishaku voted that the chairmanship should be retained in the south.

“But the whole eight Southern PDP governors voted that the chairmanship seat should go to the north. They were joined by Ortom. So, when the votes were tallied, nine governors were in favour that the seat be zoned to the north while three favoured that it should be retained in the south with one abstention.

“That was what happened. Rather than the 44-member zoning committee, the governors decided. They were the jinx breakers. They only communicated their decision to the committee members who met on Thursday and just announced the decision of the governors.

“That shows how powerful the governors are. They are the major power brokers in the two dominant political parties because they are the major financiers of the parties.”

On Thursday, at the reconvened meeting of the zoning committee in Enugu, Ugwuanyi made the announcement.

But TheNiche gathered that even if the governors didn’t tilt the presidential balance to the south, ten members of the zoning committee from the north had already agreed to support the south and vote for a northern chairman.

 Ugwuanyi said other positions within the National Working Committee (NWC) will be swapped between the north and the south.
He also emphasized that the committee was not asked to decide the zoning of the presidential ticket.

“The mandate of the committee does not include zoning of offices of the president, vice president, and other executive and legislative offices of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The decision of the committee to zone the offices of the party does not in any way affect the same executive and legislative offices in Nigeria. The zoning of offices on PDP has traditionally been between the North and the South of Nigeria.

“The decision of the PDP zoning committee is in line with the constitution of the party on zoning, and rotation of party, and national offices in the interest of justice, equity and fairness. Consequently, the current offices being held by officers in the southern zone of the country, namely south-west, south-east and south-south zone should swap places with offices currently in the northern zone of Nigeria namely north-west north-east, north-central zones,” he told journalists.

With the resolution to zone the seat to the north, our source disclosed that there is a possibility that the convention may be postponed to enable the PDP put its house in order.

Since the announcement on Thursday, there has been deafening silence from some northern power brokers who are believed to be interested in running for the presidency.

The idea of postponing the convention may also be to reach out to those aspirants in order to pacify them.
Our source said the process of healing has already started.

“Southern party leaders are already reaching out to their northern colleagues to appease them. The message is simple and straightforward – there is no victor and no vanquished.

“The governors stepped in to save the party from imploding. The decision to zone the chairmanship to the north was taken to ensure peace in the PDP and secure the unity of the country.”

Most southern PDP leaders who spoke to TheNiche said it would be manifestly unfair to retain the presidency in the north after eight straight years of a northern president.

“This is not about political party. It does not matter whether the incumbent president is a member of the PDP or APC. PDP constitution has a rotation clause and power rotation has always been between north and south and the fact remains that President Muhammadu Buhari is from the core north. Equity, justice and fair play demand that after eight years of his presidency, power should gravitate to the south,” one of the leaders said..."

Read more https://www.thenicheng.com/exclusive-2023-presidency-how-governors-saved-the-pdp-from-implosion/

Una nor well

pdp

If it's given to the south I think Udom the should be given the opportunity opportunity to prove himself

Zone the Chairmanship to the North but throws the presidential ticket open.
These guys are trickish.

A northerner could still clinch the ticket after all.

Some folks from a particular region in the south are still hoping that somehow somehow, “Atiku is coming” instead of putting up the necessary structure to fight for the party’s ticket. We dey here dey laugh them

seunmsg:
Some folks from a particular region in the south are still hoping that somehow somehow, “Atiku is coming” instead of putting up the necessary structure to fight for the party’s ticket. We dey here dey laugh them

I'm sure you're quietly celebrating this development because you feel the prospect of a Southern PDP candidate could potentially benefit Tinubu.

Brace up for a shocker after the convention.

Waiting for the ruling party.

Next year is 2022

okay

Nothing has changed, zoning the chairmanship to d North means nothing, because, the presidential ticket will now been thrown open and definitely, a Northerner must still emerge as it candidate, while d Northern PDP chairman steps down for a southern PDP chairman to emerge..

AntonVince:


I'm sure you're quietly celebrating this development because you feel the prospect of a Southern PDP candidate could potentially benefit Tinubu.

Brace up for a shocker after the convention.

Allow the hypocrite to continue to fool himself.They actually think the rest of us are fulls.The PDP clearly stated nothing has been decided on the presidential or VP candidates.

Shebi Tinubu the so-called kingmaker did not know how to make himself president in 2015?

Northern Pdp are currently running a scam on Southern Pdp yet the southern Pdp are yet to be consciously aware.

If the Committee led by Gov Ugwuanyi can reach a resolution of zoning the Pdp chairmanship position to Northern Nigeria, why do Northern Pdp still want the party presidential ticket to be thrown open?

Meaning the Chairman position has already been reserved for North while they still have chance of contesting the party presidential primary

helinues:
Northern Pdp are currently running a scam on Southern Pdp yet the southern Pdp are yet to be consciously aware.

If the Committee led by Gov Ugwuanyi can reach a resolution of zoning the Pdp chairmanship position to Northern Nigeria, why do Northern Pdp still want the party presidential ticket to be thrown open?

Meaning the Chairman position has already been reserved for North while they still have chance of contesting the party presidential primary

The PDP as a whole including both southern and Northern politicians are baiting the APC to zone their presidential ticket to the south.Its a political strategy

kcnwaigbo:

The PDP as a whole including both southern and Northern politicians are baiting the APC to zone their presidential ticket to the south.Its a political strategy

I am yet to see which excuse Apc would give before zoning their presidency to North again. I am not just seeing that coming considering some southern politicians that have been defecting to Apc lately. They must have seen the clearly written words on the wall.

Pdp is only playing to the gallery

helinues:


I am yet to see which excuse Apc would give before zoning their presidency to North again. I am not just seeing that coming considering some southern politicians that have been defecting to Apc lately. They must have seen the clearly written words on the wall.

Pdp is only playing to the gallery

Lol let's watch and see.Sanusi has already told you that you can't have two useless presidential candidates

kcnwaigbo:

The PDP as a whole including both southern and Northern politicians are baiting the APC to zone their presidential ticket to the south.Its a political strategy

you are on point.. PDP will still have a Northern Presidential candidate in 2023..

KoleDgreat2020:
you are on point.. PDP will still have a Northern Presidential candidate in 2023..

And also have the Pdp chairman's position right?

kcnwaigbo:

Lol let's watch and see.Sanusi has already told you that you can't have two useless presidential candidates

Well, we are following as things unfold

helinues:


And also have the Pdp chairman's position right?

No, the chairman steps down for a southerner to emerge as chairman

KoleDgreat2020:
No, the chairman steps down for a southerner to emerge as chairman

So why are they beating around the bush. Cos if Pdp are zoning their presidential ticket to North, then South should have the party Chairman automatically

helinues:


So why are they beating around the bush. Cos if Pdp are zoning their presidential ticket to North, then South should have the party Chairman automatically

There is no law barring the presidential candidate and national chairman of a party from coming from the same geo-political zone.

Both the national chairman and presidential candidate can come from the North

kcnwaigbo:

There is no law barring the presidential candidate and national chairman of a party from coming from the same geo-political zone.

Both the national chairman and presidential candidate can come from the North

This is not about law but common sense

helinues:


This is not about law but common sense

Lol if we were dealing with common sense,Buhari will not be president to begin with

kcnwaigbo:

Lol if we were dealing with common sense,Buhari will not be president to begin with

True, not even out current set of politicians including the likes of Tinubu, Atiku, Obi

West1side:
Wetin the jews from hell go come do now that Atiku is no longer cumming.

He will cum but in your mouth. RoosterDrinker.

NL changing coc.ksucker to Rooster...

The PDP should throw open the presidential ticket. This is the best way forward for them internally. Anyone who wins would be supported by all.

helinues:


True, not even out current set of politicians including the likes of Tinubu, Atiku, Obi

You can speak for your Messiah tinubu whose record before joining politics was shameful. Atiku is also his friend.

Don't ever include the technocratic cerebral Peter Obi in your fetched-from-the-anus political analysis, if you don't want to be unfortunate.

Gandollar:
You can speak for your Messiah tinubu whose record before joining politics was shameful. Atiku is also his friend.

Don't ever include the technocratic cerebral Peter Obi in your fetched-from-the-anus political analysis, if you don't want to be unfortunate.

Yhen Yhan Yhon

KoleDgreat2020:
No, the chairman steps down for a southerner to emerge as chairman

Truly, kids have taken over this forum. You go fear the kind of political analysis dey dish out confidently

2023 will be the burial year for PDP! The party is dead already.

Inside your mama toto na him Atiku go cum my own mouth is not available.

Gandollar:
He will cum but in your mouth. RoosterDrinker.

NL changing coc.ksucker to Rooster...

The PDP should throw open the presidential ticket. This is the best way forward for them internally. Anyone who wins would be supported by all.