…Metuh, Chikwe return
Top leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were today locked in a chains of meetings to streamline a consensus list less than 12 hours into a special national convention.
The last of the meetings held this night at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and threw up Prince Uche Secondus as deputy national chairman.
PDP leaders, Pointblanknews.com further gathered, were particularly worried about how to streamline the. over 80 aspirants vying for 14 vacant positions.
Governors elected on the platform of the party, trustees, its bigwigs and top leaders kept vigil to streamline the list for aspirants.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the party leaders settled for Secondus, a former national organising secretary of the party as consensus candidate for the position of deputy national chairman.
Apart from support from President Goodluck Jonathan, Secondus, a former chairman of the party in Rivers State, it was gathered, bagged the support of governors from his south-south and south-east zones. The support for his candidacy was total, a party source offered.
Immediate past national woman leader of the party, Mrs Kema Chikwe, national youth leader Umar Garba Chiza, as well as national publicity secretary Chief Olisa Metuh, according to top PDP sources, returned.
It also emerged that Barrister Victor Kohn from Plateau State emerged unopposed for the position of national legal adviser.
Kaduna-born Abubakar Mustapha emerged consensus candidate for the position of national organising secretary following the withdrawal from the race of Ibrahim Bamali.
The south-east zone, which was zoned the positions of national woman leader and national publicity secretary (NPS), were earlier in a deadlock as the governors streamlined the about two dozen aspirants.
A few aspirants from the south-east reportedly opposed to the idea of consensus candidacy have vowed to slug it out at Eagle Square, venue of the special convention. Some party leaders however predicted that they would withdraw.
Top party sources said Metuh and Chikwe managed to secure the support of Chief Martin Elechi, Theodore Orji, and Sullivan Chime, governors of Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu States respectively.
The north west was said to be fraught with some problem. Alhaji Bala Gwandu is slugging it out with Buhari Bala. Even though Gwandu has reportedly been endorsed by Kebbi State and the zone, Bala, according to sources, was unrelenting.
Bala, a former minister and adviser to several party chairmen, had attempted to use a court to stop Gwandu’s candidacy. The move had reportedly upset the zone’s political leaders.
Aside the position of national secretary, officers for the remaining party are expected to emerge on Saturday.