2019 Presidential Ticket: Crisis Rocks PDP Over Zoning

The race for the 2019 presidential election in the opposition party, PDP has started heating up, as plans are being made to select a northerner for the position.

The Board of Trustees (BoT)‎ of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned against any move to jettison the zoning of the party’s 2019 presidential ‎ticket to the North, according to DailyTrust.

The BoT acting chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, who addressed newsmen yesterday in Abuja, said anyone who tried to reverse the position, which had already been approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) would ever remain an “enemy to the north” and a “killer” of the PDP.

Senator Walid also said that the party’s national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, must vacate office alongside other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) in May as approved by the various organs of the PDP.

The NEC, which is the highest decision-making body of the party, had asked the Sheriff-led NWC to constitute convention, financial, zoning and ‎reconciliation committees ahead of the May 21 national convention of the party to be held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, an action which has not been taken.

The acting BoT chairman said the recent courtesy calls to the national chairman and the presentations made calling on him to continue beyond the stipulated three months’ tenure was an invitation to “trouble, anarchy” and the return of “impunity” in the PDP.

He said since Senator Sherif has never come out to accept or reject the calls for tenure elongation, he should come out with very clear statement exonerating himself from what he called “devilish plans” and maintain his stand on the three months given to him by the NEC.

He said, “The present NWC received an overwhelming ovation and admiration at the meeting of the national caucus, BoT and NEC by overlooking their 2017 tenure in support of the three months approval of the respected organs of the party which should strictly be complied with. Instead of listening to the praise singers, Modu Sherif should follow the path of honour and integrity by simply taking a bow in May, 2016, after the national convention.

“May I also strongly warn on the dangers of not adhering to the recommendations of Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s post election Review Committee (2015) that the party should seek its 2019 presidential candidate from the North of Nigeria to compensate for the obvious violation of the zoning arrangement in the 2011 election which led to a major apathy against the party in the north from 2011 culminating in the poor performance of the party in 2015 elections."