March 25, (THEWILL) – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has appointed Gov Samuel Ortom and Hon Ndudi Elumelu, as the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of it’s 2023 Presidential Zoning Committee, just as Emmanuel Ekpe will serve as its Secretary.
Inaugurating the 37-member zoning committee at the PDP National Secretariat on Thursday in Abuja, National Chairman of the Party, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, said that the committee has the responsibility to work out modalities for the zoning of the Presidential slot.
Ayu, who urged party members to unite in order to win the 2023 presidential election, carpeted the anti-zoning elements in the party.
He said, “This committee on zoning is a committee of NEC and it is the tradition in our Party to discuss every issue including fair distribution of offices.
“Before we came into office, all of you our leaders put heads together and ensured that we distributed party offices fairly across the country. We want to thank you for what you did. Our party came out stronger, because you were fair and you did a very transparent job.”
THEWILL reports that the PDP has been enmeshed in zoning controversy, the latest which came from Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who warned that fielding a southern candidate in the 2023 presidential election will lead to the party’s defeat.
Earlier, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, had echoed similar position even as former Senate President Bukola Saraki, met in Abuja on Thursday to rally all the presidential aspirants on the platform of the party for a consensus arrangement.
Although Saraki and Mohammed did not openly condemn zoning, their declaration has angered the south, who feel they have moved against the arrangement in the party.
Ayu said, “At the beginning, we push the presidency to the south. I was one of those who took that decision. And there are many others here in this hall. After General Olusegun Obasanjo, we voluntarily sent it to Katsina, but fate played a fast one on us. But in the same spirit, after late Umaru Yar’Adua, we sent it to Bayelsa.
“So PDP has a history of rotating our offices. Anybody who doesn’t get it this time should wait after the tenure of whoever will be our next president. We believe PDP is going to produce the next President. Once we start this journey this time, we will ensure it goes round. And it will go round with justice, fairness and the interests of Nigeria.
“I urge all of you to discuss this matter with the same spirit that you discuss at NEC because most of you are members of NEC, you knew what happened and you are free to advance your arguments. Let us not have any rancour whatsoever and at the end of the day, remain focused on the main goal.
“That main goal is for us to win power next year. And how do we win power? We can only win power by uniting, by working together. Because even if you are from Ebonyi or Anambra and you fight to be the president of our country through the PDP platform, and you pursue it with rancour, even if you win party nomination, other people will not vote for you. They will not be willing to work for you.
“But if you pursue it without bitterness, whoever wins will rally around the person and then the party will win election next year. And there will be something for everybody for every constituency in this country.
“I therefore employ you never to lose sight of the bigger picture of the bigger objective. And that big sight is to maintain our unity which carried us through the last convention. So that at the end of May, we shall present a PDP presidential candidate Nigerians will be proud of. We will go to elections and win.”
Meanwhile the party has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to attend or monitor the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention slated for Saturday, 26th March, 2022.
The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said, “APC, having been defunct on December 8, 2020 when it dissolved its National, States as well as Local Government structures, ceases, in the eyes of the law, to be a political party and as such cannot be subject of INEC’s regulations with particular reference to its supposed National Convention.
“For emphasis, the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) was established for the singular purpose of organising the APC National Convention in 2020. The Committee violated the Constitution and the Electoral Act by engaging in party administration, conducting congresses to produce officers at the various state chapters as well as delegates for APC National Convention.”
The party also said, “the CECPC by its composition with a state governor, H.E Mai Mala Buni as Chairman is illegal and unconstitutional by reason of Section 183 of the Nigerian Constitution, which bars a sitting governor from holding “any other executive office in any capacity whatsoever.
“Article 14 (i) of the APC Constitution, clearly states that the Chairman of the APC “shall be the “Chief Executive…” of the party. In going beyond its mandate, the CECPC acted ultra vires and all administrative acts purportedly done or deemed to have been done by this Committee are null and void and void ab-initio.”
To this effect, “delegates to the APC purported National Convention produced by congresses conducted by the CECPC are at best handicapped delegates with leprous fingers who cannot deliver any vote to produce a valid and legal political leadership for the APC. INEC should therefore not waste of public resources to monitor a jamboree that would be of no legal or electoral effect under our laws.
“If the APC had listened to one its members, the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, SAN, who had cautioned that the “competence of Governor Mai Mala Buni to organise the congresses has been called to question by the Supreme Court”, it would not have been in this quagmire.”
