PDP: Southern Leaders at War Over Zoning, Presidential Ticket Ahead of 2023

• All is not well within the southern caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the party's national convention
• The party's chieftains are said to be at loggerheads over who should occupy the various positions reserved for southern PDP members
• State governors pushing their various candidates are also said to be in major disagreements over the decisions

FCT, Abuja - A report by The Nation newspaper indicates that a fresh crisis is brewing within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the decision of the leadership of the party to zone the national chairman position to northern Nigeria.

The decision to zone the office was made without clarifying whether the 2023 presidential ticket of the party would be zoned to the south or be thrown open.

According to the report, leaders and chieftains of the PDP in the southern zones are now at loggerheads over the developments.

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With the national chairman position going to the north, all other National Working Committee (NWC) positions currently in the south will also be ceded to the north while all the positions currently occupied by northerners can only be contested by southerners at the next convention.

Thus, 11 NWC positions coming to the south are Deputy National Chairman (South), National Secretary, Woman Leader, Publicity Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Financial Secretary, Auditor, Deputy Treasurer, Deputy Legal Adviser, Deputy Youth Leader, and Deputy Organising Secretary.

Another source said there is currently a tussle among leaders of the three zones in the region on how the positions of deputy national chairman (south) and national secretary should be zoned.

The source said:

“It would have been quite easy to micro-zone the positions, but I can tell you that with zonal interests and group interests currently clashing across the south, tension is in the air and a crisis appears imminent over the positions.”

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While a group of southwest PDP stakeholders loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo are angling for the zone to get the national secretary position, another group within the zone, said to be working to ensure that Elder Yemi Akinwonmi retains his place in the NWC.

This group reportedly enjoys the support of ex-Ekiti state governor Ayo Fayose and Hon. Ladi Adebutu. By convention, the southwest can only get one of the two positions.

But it was gathered that a group of powerful chieftains of the party from within and outside the south are backing former Osun state governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, for the same position.

It was gathered that the Makinde group may have Eyitayo Jegede from Ondo in mind for the position of national secretary, while Governors Nyesom Wike and Governor Godwin Obaseki are allegedly not on the same page over the former’s choice of candidate.

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Group accuses party governors of having a stranglehold on PDP

Meanwhile, ahead of the October 30 to 31, 2021 elective national convention of the PDP, a group, Northern Youth Solidarity Forum (NYSF) has called on party members and supporters in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to extricate the party from the stranglehold of the governors.

The PDP group urged party members to rise to the occasion, especially on the current burning issues of zoning of party offices in the country before it is too late.

In a statement released by the leader of the group, Abdulkadir Dantata, the NYSF alerted on the looming danger in the country and warned that, if nothing is done to discourage the continuous control of the PDP by the governors, the party may be heading for doom.

Source: Legit.ng