Presidential aspirants to know fate on zoning, May 4, as PDP fixes NEC meeting

Main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fixed its 96^th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for Wednesday May 4, 2022.

The meeting, according to the party’s National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu will take place at the NEC Hall of the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, in Abuja.

The meeting which is expected to decide on the close of sale of nomination forms for the elective positions ahead of the 2023 General Elections, will also rule on the contentious zoning arrangement, which has split the party along regional lines.

It would be recalled that the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom-led committee on zoning had submitted its report, on Tuesday, April 5, to the party, opting to leave the contest open to all candidates.

However, Governor Ortom said it was now up to the party’s NEC to decide on the matter.

The 37-member Zoning Committee headed by Governor Ortom, concluded its sitting, Tuesday, with no decision on toeing the earlier agreed decision of the party’s hierarchy to abide by its pre-existing zoning arrangement of allotting the 2023 Presidential ticket to the southern region of the country.

That arrangement is also in line with agitation by southern socio-cultural and political groups which had called for a boycott of any platform that fails to zone its presidential ticket to the south.

It was also in line with the position of the Southern Governors’ Forum which had maintained that the ticket should be zoned to the region.

However, addressing the media shortly after close of sitting, in Abuja, Governor Ortom refused to give details on the outcome or decision reached by his committee, further fueling speculations that the party may have dumped its pre-agreed zoning arrangement.

Ortom only disclosed that Committee members have reached a unanimous agreement on the matter.

He said a report will be forwarded to the National Executive Committee of the party.

The PDP zoning committee was inaugurated on March 24 by the National Working Committee following the controversies surrounding the party’s arrangement for the presidency ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The committee, which was tasked with the responsibility of ensuring fair distribution of the party’s elective offices across the country, is composed of Governors Darius Ishaku of Taraba State and Ifeanyi Ugwunanyi of Enugu State, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, former Governors, lawmakers and other party stalwarts.

Only recently, the group of advocates of the consensus deal was thrown into division as some of their members distanced themselves from the arrangement after the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) settled for Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki to lead the cause of the north on the platform of the PDP for the zone.

This followed decision by leading members of the consensus initiative, like the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who, Saturday, opted to pursue his presidential ambitions outside of the group.

“All members of the National Executive Committee of our great Party are invited to the 96th NEC meeting scheduled,” read Sen. Anyanwu’s notice.