PDP zones party national chairman to North

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned the position of its national chairman to the North.

The party explained that the current offices being held by officers in the Southern zones of the country, namely: South West, South East and South South zones, should swap places with the offices currently in the Northern zones of Nigeria, namely: North West, North East and North Central zones.

The opposition party disclosed this on Thursday in a communique issued at the end of the PDP Zoning Committee meetings held in Enugu and Abuja.

The Chairman of the zoning committee and Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi said the National Zoning Committee of the PDP was given the mandate to zone national offices to be contested by all PDP members of the party at the PDP National Convention of the party scheduled for October 30/31 2021 by the National Executive Committee of the party.

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Ugwuanyi hinted that at the end of its deliberations, they resolved that the mandate of the committee does not include zoning of the offices of the President, Vice President and other executive and legislative offices of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, adding that the decision of the committee to zone the party offices does not in any way affect the executive and legislative offices in Nigeria.

While stressing that the zoning of offices on PDP has traditionally been between the North and South of Nigeria, Ugwuanyi pointed out that the decision of the PDP Zoning Committee was in line with the constitution of the party on zoning and rotation of party and national offices in the interest of justice, equity and fairness.

According to him, “We want to thank the party, especially the National Executive Committee that set up this Committee on September 9, 2021 for finding us worthy to serve the party in the capacity as zoning committee members.

“We shall pass on our recommendations to the National Executive Committee of the Party through the National Working Committee of the Party.”

With this arrangement, top players in the South like Dan Orbih and Olagunsoye Oyinlola gearing to contest the party national chairman in its convention later this month have all lost out.

Currently, national party offices held by Southerners are: National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman (1), National Organising Secretary, National Treasurer, National Legal Adviser and National Youth Leader. The positions of Deputy National Chairman (2), National Secretary, Deputy National Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, National Financial Secretary, National Auditor and National Woman Leader are occupied by the North.