An outgoing governor from the Southsouth is being tipped to take over as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the plot to unseat the incumbent, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, thickens.
Mu’azu is being targeted by many party faithful for the party’s disastrous outing in the recent elections, its worst since it swept into power in 1999.
The ‘Mu’azu must- go’ campaign is being spearheaded by chieftains of the party including governors in the Southsouth and Southeast who see the two zones as the new power base of the party and which must now be in the PDP’s driver’s seat with a view to repositioning the party ahead of the 2019 elections.
More party members are being recruited to join the campaign which sources said may terminate Mu’azu’s leadership as early as May 29, the same day President Goodluck Jonathan will be handing over power to General Muhammadu Buhari.
The PDP chairman is from Bauchi in the Northeast geo-political zone.
His critics blame him for the inability of the party to do well in the north in particular and the nation in general in the elections.
The Nation gathered that the plot to move against him came about at a meeting of all the PDP governors, governors- elect, Senators, Senators- elect, Reps and Reps-elect last week.
The meeting was said to have x-rayed the party’s performance in each of the six geo-political zones.
According to sources, the meeting was characterised by accusations and counter accusations of disloyalty, betrayal and anti-party activities amongst chieftains, especially in the northern zones.
Soon after the Abuja meeting, one of the Southsouth governors openly blamed PDP’s loss at the federal level on what he described as indiscipline and disloyalty by some party members.
He spoke at the inauguration of a special committee to examine the performance and conduct of the PDP leaders during the polls.
The governor who warned that dire consequences awaited any member found to be involved in anti-party activities, emphasised the importance of party discipline and loyalty towards achieving success in any political contest.
“From proceeding at the meeting, it was obvious that the party urgently needs a new direction. For this to happen, we must get new leadership immediately. And there is no pretending that the leadership can no longer remain in the north following its woeful performance in that region,” a party source told The Nation.
“We cannot be led by people whose commitment to the party is now questionable. Those who have stakes in the party must take charge and rescue the party at this crucial stage. This is the idea behind the resolve to bring the chairmanship back to the south. But I am not aware that a particular is mentioned to occupy the seat,” the source, a defeated Senatorial candidate who was at the meeting added.
It was also gathered that at the end of the Abuja post-mortem, PDP governors from the southern states met with some prominent party leaders including Senator Pius Anyim and Chief E.K Clark and urged them to support the replacement of Muazu with a respected Southsouth Governor before May 29.
“The presidency has bought into the idea and Muazu’s days in office may be numbered. Prominent party leaders like E.K Clark and others have endorsed the candidature of the outgoing Governor who has not been elected or appointed into any public office for now,” another source said.
“It is a popular opinion amongst us that the leadership of the party should return to the south now that a northerner is the next president of the country,” another source added.
The Nation learnt that a repeat of the meeting has been scheduled for this week. It is expected that the anti-Muazu governors will move against the PDP boss anytime after the said meeting.” The Nation
