Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains in the South-West have intensified lobby for the national chairmanship of the party to be zoned to the region.
The party, as part of preparation for the 2019 general election, had zoned its presidential candidate and national chairmanship to the North and South, respectively.
However, South-West leaders, in recent time, have been making a strong case for the position to be zoned exclusively to them.
This was coming as indications emerged that the PDP National Convention may hold on December 9.
A highly placed party source told Daily Sun that since the tenure of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee would elapse on December 12, the committee is considering to hold the convention three days ahead of its exit date. However, the date is subject to the confirmation of the PDP National Executive Committee( NEC).
Article 31(2)a of the PDP constitution (as amended in 2012), vests the power to convene a national convention and set up a Convention Organising Committee on the NEC.
The NEC, which is the second highest organ of the party, after the National Convention, consists of PDP governors, select members of the National Assembly caucus of the party in both chambers, the six national vice chairmen and state chairmen of the party, among others.
Therefore, it is expected that the date and modalities for convention, which include setting up of a Convention Planning Committee, would dominate deliberations at the next PDP NEC meeting coming up soon.
According to Daily Sun, it was gathered that as part of its determined bid to produce the next national chairman of the opposition party, PDP leaders in the South-West zone have started reaching out to the other two zones in the South for the position to be ceded to them. A leader of the party in the zone, who pleaded anonymity confirmed to Daily Sun that they are reaching out to PDP leaders in both South South and South-East.
Also, some Southwest PDP leaders are equally forming pressure groups to drive the campaign for the party’s chairmanship.
Of the three zones in the South, only the South-East has not showed open interest. At the botched PDP convention in Port Harcourt last August, four aspirants from the South-West had indicated interest in the coveted position. They include former deputy national of the party, Chief Olabode George, former Minister of Education, Professor Tunde Adeniran, former Minister of State for Sports , Professor Taoheed Adedoja and former PDP governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr Jimi Agbaje.
Apart from the four aspirants from the South-West, Chief Raymond Dokpesi from the South South had also indicated interest in the national chairmanship position.
