• We’ve hungry politicians in the party – Bode George
From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja and Charles Adegbite
After weeks of suspense, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Zoning Committee, led by Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa-Ibom State decided to retain the national chairmanship position in the North East.
The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has already adopted the new arrangement.
Before the Udom committee came out with a final draft, there were indications that the committee was under immense pressure to zone the position to the South West and, in the worst-case scenario, zone it to the North-West.
But, in its recommendation, which was released yesterday, the committee retained the offices of national chairman of the party, deputy national chairman and national secretary in the North-East, South-South and South-West geo-political zones respectively.
By the recommendation, which was adopted yesterday by the NEC without any dissenting voice, the incumbent national chairman, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, his deputy, Uche Secondus and national scribe, Professor Wale Oladipo can now seek fresh terms in office.
For the first time in a long while, the South West will now produce the spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh’s successor. The proposed zoning arrangement adopted by the party national executive committee are as follows:-
National Chairman (North-East); Deputy National Chairman (South-South); National Secretary (South West); Deputy National Secretary (North-Central); National Legal Adviser (North-West) and Deputy National Legal Adviser (South-South).
Others are National Treasurer (South-South); Deputy National Treasurer (North-West); National Financial Secretary (North-Central); Deputy National Financial Secretary (South-East); National Woman Leader (North-West) and Deputy National Woman Leader (South-South).
Also adopted by the party’s NEC in the zoning arrangement are National Auditor (South-West); Deputy National Auditor (North-East); National Publicity Secretary (South-West); Deputy National Publicity Secretary (North-Central); National Organising Secretary (South-East) and Deputy National Organising Secretary (North-Central) while the positions of National Youth Leader and Deputy National Youth Leader were zoned to South-East and North-West respectively”.
The NEC also received the proposal for the amendment of the party constitution and unanimously agreed to debate it at its next meeting scheduled to hold May 11, 2016 for adoption by Convention.
Meanwhile, former national vice chairman of PDP, Chief Bode George, yesterday, lambasted some members of the party for going to misrepresent the South-West at the national secretariat of the party without due consultation.
He described them as hungry politicians.
The PDP chieftain said such members are “politrickcians” and not politicians, and asked rhetorically, ‘who sent them, who did they consult before going?”
He said this on the Lagos-based TV Continental programme “Deji360” yesterday evening.
George pointed out that the recent South West meeting, which was well attended by leaders of the party, was where it was agreed that chairmanship of the party must be zoned to the zone.
He pointed out that between now and March 2017, Sheriff can still remain the transitional chairman of the party if the North wishes, but, by next year, the party chairman must be from the South West, in accordance with Senator Ike Ekeremadu’s reconciliation report.
George noted that if the Presidency must be zoned to the North for the 2019 election, as recommended by the Ekermadu report, the chairmanship must be from the South-West because it remains the only zone that has not produced a national chairman of the party.
He advised the ‘hungry politicians’ to stop towing the path that would make them disagree with the party and made it clear they can disagree on issues and stressed that PDP is a party of democracy.
“They are minority, and minority will have their say, but the majority will always have their way in a democratic setting.” he said.