3600 delegates in Abuja for PDP National Convention

Three thousand six hundred delegates will file out this weekend to elect new officers that will pilot the affairs of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the next four years during its national convention.

The convention is slated to place at the Eagle Square in Abuja.

Chairman of PDP National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), Ahmadu Fintiri, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists ahead of weekend’s event.

Fintiri expressed optimism that the court case instituted by the embattled former national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus would not in any way affect the convention.

He hinted that all the sub-committees had been mobilised and fully prepared to deliver by tomorrow, adding that most of the activities had been completed.

The Chairman of the NCOC said all the positions being contesting for were fully occupied, stressing that the result of the screening committee was submitted to him and all the positions and individuals that were disqualified, was further uphold by the Appeal Committee.

He said they were making efforts to reconcile most of the contestants so that they could streamline them to have a better convention.

According to him, “We will be expected 3600 delegates tomorrow. You know PDP has produced a lot of officials for this country and our constitution has also allowed for some former this and former that and we have people that have crossed over to the other side.

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“So have to be careful so that we don’t include them. But at the moment, I think we are satisfied that we have brought the list to where we feel we are okay.

“I think we are very optimistic that we have not offended or erred any provision of our party constitution. So I believe that the outcome of the Appeal Court this afternoon would be in favor of this convention.

“The 35% affirmation for woman is not properly defined in the constitution as to which positions should go for a woman or which position should go for men as it also indicates the provision of Section 42 in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“So we are talking and I think we will have definite positions for women in our next constitution amendment that we are going to have probably next year to look at it so that we can give women their position properly defined in our constitution, because we felt this is a party that respected women.

“What we’ll be doing tomorrow along with you, the problem has reduced significantly and we will keep posting as the events unfold. At the moment we are talking to those that are contesting for the Office of the Deputy National Chairman South and the those that are contesting for Office of the Auditor, and those that are now contested for Office youth leader, I think at the moment is just the offices that are still have many people contesting for them. The rest have been streamlined and the consensus looks like okay.

Fintiri explained that whether a position was being contested or not, it will be an open secret ballot type of election.

On how much was budgeted for the convention, the chairman simply said “we will present the report of the audit committee tomorrow (Saturday) and you will be able to see it.”