A defiant Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Thursday assigned the position of its national chairman to the Northeast geopolitical zone, ignoring threats of mass defection by some of its chieftains who insisted the position be zoned to the Southwest region.<\/p>\n
The decision was reached at the party\u2019s 70th National Executive Council meeting held on Thursday at its national secretariat in Abuja.<\/p>\n
The decision, which was made by the party\u2019s zoning committee led by Akwa Ibom State\u2019s Emmanuel Udom, has now cleared the way for Ali-Modu Sheriff, the national chairman of the party, to contest for a full term at the party\u2019s national convention next month.<\/p>\n
The newly adopted zoning arrangements as contained in a statement signed by Olisa Metuh, the party\u2019s spokesman, are as follows:<\/p>\n
1. National Chairman \u2013 North-East
\nii. Deputy National Chairman \u2013 South-South
\niii. National Secretary \u2013 South-West
\niv. Deputy National Secretary \u2013 North-Central
\nv. National Legal Adviser \u2013 North-West
\nvi. Deputy National Legal Adviser \u2013 South-South
\nvii. National Treasurer \u2013 South-South
\nviii. Deputy National Treasurer \u2013 North-West
\nix. National Financial Secretary \u2013 North-Central
\nx. Deputy National Financial Sec. \u2013 South-East
\nxi. National Woman Leader \u2013 North-West
\nxii. Deputy National Woman Leader \u2013 South-South
\nxiii. National Auditor \u2013 South-West
\nxiv. Deputy National Auditor \u2013 North-East
\nxv. National Publicity Secretary \u2013 South-West
\nxvi. Deputy National Publicity Sec. \u2013 North-Central
\nxvii. National Organizing Secretary \u2013 South-East
\nxviii. Deputy National Organizing Sec. \u2013 North-Central
\nxix. National Youth Leader \u2013 South- East
\nxix. Deputy National Youth Leader \u2013 North-West<\/p>\n
Sheriff, appointed in February to complete the tenure of Adamu Mu\u2019azu, has been pushing to hold on to the position amid opposition from mainly southwest PDP leaders.<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s decision highlights the unwavering influence of the party\u2019s governors\u2019 caucus, which has remained Mr. Sheriff\u2019s most supportive bloc within the party.
\nThe party\u2019s Board of Trustees, which took a hard stance against him, gave a backhanded support to the decision.<\/p>\n
Walid Jibrin, the BoT chairman, was present at the meeting, although several other members were not, though the party\u2019s national secretary, Wale Oladipo, said that some of the absent members sent in a letters and apologies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe BoT is part of NEC and some of the BoT members that didn\u2019t attend sent in letters to explain and apologise, Mrs. Maina Waziri is one of them,\u201d Oladipo said.<\/p>\n
Jibrin, a senator, urged all aggrieved members of the party to eschew their discontentment in order not to leave the party fractured.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of us who are founding members of the PDP will not leave the PDP and the PDP will never die. We will continue to be in PDP whatever mistake is there we might be there to correct it and make our contribution.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeaving PDP is not the answer, I will like to appeal to everyone who intends to leave the PDP to stop that. We must unite and all work together in order to build PDP. PDP is within a very good marking and I do not think I see anything wrong with PDP.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery party has its own problems and we should use our own problems positively. I\u2019m sure soon the whole problem in PDP will be resolved,\u201d Jibrin said.<\/p>\n
Doyin Okupe, a former presidential aide, said the party had \u201centered the road to perdition\u201d with the decision.<\/p>\n
Okupe, who has become one of the most vociferous voices against Sheriff in recent weeks, had said he and other party leaders from the southwest agreed to defect if the southwest is denied the chairmanship position.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe PDP has now entered the road to perdition with the appointment of someone who\u2019s only known public image is that he\u2019s a Boko Haram sponsor,\u201d Okupe said, adding that \u201cThis is shameful, and I hope all Nigerians, especially loyal members of the party, reject this unfortunate development.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also added that the decision of the PDP\u2019s NEC, which is the party\u2019s highest decision-marking organ, to circumvent the zoning arrangement of the party in order to impose Sheriff on the members is another slippery slope that the party is unlikely to escape.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis leaders of the party in NEC decided to ignore the zoning arrangement of the party so that they could impose Sheriff on all members, this is a very dangerous cliff that the PDP can never escape. It is over for the party,\u201d Okupe said.<\/p>\n
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