Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri
PDP chairmanship position to North sacrosant, says Fintiri, as party begins sale of forms ahead National Convention
2021 National Convention Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, says the decision by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to ratify an earlier arrangement by the Zoning Committee which had allotted the chairmanship position to the North remains sacrosanct.
Governor Fintiri, who affirmed this, in Abuja, Saturday, while briefing journalists on the outcome of a meeting with the electoral sub-committee, also said that there is no going back on the October 30-31 date for the party’s national convention.
He explained that the sale of nomination forms for the convention would commence Sunday, while the screening of aspirants and appeals from the exercise are expected to be concluded this week.
“The highest decision organ of the party has taken decision (on zoning), which is the NEC. And I think that decision is final. It is binding on all of us members. And we will abide by it. And that is what we are working on.
“The date of the convention still remains, which is the 30th and 31st of October. The venue has been scheduled. That is the Eagle Square. And our delegates across the country are being sensitized. The zoning committee has completed their job. We have revised our timetable. And we will start selling of forms.
“The screening and appeal are expected to end on or before next week, by the revised timetable. They will be free to start campaigning across the country,” Fintiri said.
The governor while responding to a question on the possibility of a consensus chairmanship candidate said: “I think it is too early for us to discuss consensus at this stage, because this is a democratic party. It is open for contest and if the issue of consensus so arises; also it is captured in our constitution.”
On his party, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed opined that the party should choose its next chairman through a consensus, even as he stated that in the event that the option of consensus is not feasible, nobody would be imposed on the party.
The Bauchi state governor noted that all the issues regarding the zoning of the PDP chairmanship to the North has been resolved, adding that the zoning was looking forward to giving the opposition party a chairman that would lead it to victory in the 2023 polls.
“Consensus is normally a process of democratic consultation because democracy is about consensus. Certainly, electoral process can be reduced by having a converging point on an individual and that would have reduced the disparaging issues within the party.
“I did say we should have a consensus candidate, but where we will not, we will not practice imposition,” he said.
