New PDP chairman to emerge in 2012

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Written by Idowu Samuel and Jacob Segun Olatunji, Abuja Thursday, 12 May 2011

AN enlarged national caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ratified the zoning formula of the party, in which case the post of Senate president and speaker of the House of Representatives would be retained by the Middle Belt and the South-West, just as it accepted the zoning of its national chairmanship slot to the North East.

According to the outcome of the meeting, the current acting chairman of the PDP, Dr Haliru Bello Muhammed, would remain in the saddle till 2012, when the party would hold its national convention.

The caucus had held a meeting at the Presidential Villa, on Tuesday, during which they also zoned the post of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to the South-East, as part of the zoning arrangement agreed to at the Obudu retreat by PDP elders.

A member of the caucus, who spoke with newsmen under strict condition of anonymity, said “the South-East members told the caucus that in the ranking of political offices, they want to see one of their own as being among the first four that wields enormous power in the country.

The table finally turned against the South-East when the governor of Niger State and the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, expressed confidence in the zoning formula by the party, on behalf of his colleagues and assured President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP national leadership of total support.

The meeting had President Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, leadership of the National Assembly and PDP governors in attendance.