The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is currently on the brink of
collapse as Governors on its platform are spoiling for war following plots
by its Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff to elongate his leadership of the party,
Pointblanknews.com has learned.
Governors Nyesom Wike, (Rivers), Ayo Fayose, (Ekiti), Emmanuel Udom, (Akwa
Ibom) Dave Umahi, (Ebonyi) and Senator Buruji Kashamu have all lined up
behind Sheriff to continue as Chairman of the PDP.
While Governors Seriaki Dickson, (Bayelsa), Okezie Ikpeazu, (Abia),
Ifeanyi Okowa, (Delta), Ben Ayade, (Cross River), Darius Ishaku, (Taraba),
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, (Enugu), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gomber) are leading the pack
insisting that the PDP Chairman must leave in May.
Members of the Party’s National Working Committee, NWC, led by Olisah
Metuh are also backing Sheriff while Chief Bode George, is leading the
South West PDP against Sheriff’s ambition.
Sources say Sheriff wants to remain Chairman of the PDP so as to be able
to emerge the Party’s Presidential Candidate in 2019. He has equally
promised one of the Governor’s from the South the Vice Presidential slot.
PDP had zoned the Presidency to the North and Vice President to the
South-East ahead of the 2019 elections.
The Governors of the PDP are expected to meet tonight in Abuja in what
sources say would be a make or mar meeting as the Party heads to its
National Convention in May.
Ahead of its convention, PDP had zoned the position of National Chairman
to the North, a move seen by some leaders as the handiwork of Sherriff who
wants to perpetuate his grip of the Chairmanship position.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the original game plan was for the South
West to produce the National Chairman of the party but the Zoning
Committee, led by Governor Udom, arm-twisted members of the committee to
zone the Chairmanship to the North to boost the chances of Sheriff.
The situation has not gone down well with Party leaders who are insisting
that Sherriff must be stopped from destroying the PDP with his ambition.
Sources hinted Pointblanknews.com that to swell his camp, Sheriff had lied
to the leadership of the PDP and Governors that he is under pressure from
General Ibrahim Babangida, Mallam Adamu Ciroma and some Northern leaders
to continue to lead the PDP.
Shocked at the decision of Governor Olusegun Mimiko to join those opposing
his plot to remain, sources told Pointblanknews.com that the embattled
Chairman had invited the Ondo Governor for a meeting. At the meeting, he
had told Mimiko that General Babangida and Ciroma are among those
insisting he continues as PDP Chairman.
The source who does not want to be named as he is not authorized to speak
to the press said as soon as the meeting between Sheriff and Mimiko was
over, the Ondo Governor quickly reached out to Babangida and Ciroma and to
his shocking, they denied endorsing the former Borno Governor as PDP
Chairman.
“They (IBB and Ciroma) told Mimiko they never at any time supported
Sherriff. They warned that so long as he remains as Chairman of the PDP,
defectors and others who had left PDP won’t return to the party,” the
source said.
Sources confirmed to Pointblanknews.com that Sheriff has already entered a
deal with the Governors, promising to hand over the Party structures in
their states to them should they see him through his plot to continue to
lead the PDP.
The Governors would either use the State structures to seek a second term
or produce a successor, in what a source described as “continuation of
impunity” within the PDP.
The forum of Former Ministers under PDP, led by former Special Duties
minister, Saminu Turaki had pro¬posed that Senator Sheriff and other
members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) be dis¬qualified.
They noted that it would give the party a new beginning.
“In order to give the party a new lease of life, it is imperative that a
Clause in the Guidelines for the 2016 National Convention should include a
provision barring all those who have served the party especially during
the immediate past tenure of the outgoing Na¬tional Working Committee
members from contesting for any office of the party under the new
dispensa¬tion.”
In deference to the rec¬ommendations of the Sena¬tor Ike Ekweremadu Post
Election Review Commit¬tee which recommended that the North should
pro¬duce the party presiden¬tial candidate in 2019, the Forum aligned
itself with it , but went further to pro¬pose that the North should
equally produce the Sen¬ate President and Deputy Speaker.
The Forum further pro¬posed to the Governor Udom Emmanuel Commit¬tee that
the South should produce the party national chairman in the next month
national convention and produce Vice-President, Deputy Senate President
and Speaker of House of Representatives, in the event that the erstwhile
ruling party wins the 2019 presidential elections.
Other electives offices of the party it urged the Zon¬ing Committee to
allot to the South include, the of¬fice of deputy national sec¬retary,
national treasurer, national legal adviser, na¬tional youth leader and
na-tional organising secretary.