2023: PDP Governors Disagree Over Committee’s No-Zoning Report

*Secondus, Bauchi governor under attack •Southern govs,
others to meet

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled state governors appear
to be at loggerhead over the report of the Bala Mohammed-led
committee which recommended that the party’s presidential ticket
for 2023 be made an all-comer affair.

The committee was charged with the responsibility of
investigating the party’s loss at the 2019 polls.

But its recommendation that aspirants from all the six
geo-political zones in the country should feel free to seek the
party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 election has not gone
down well with some influential governors from the party.

Some of the governors claim Bala Mohammed had an ulterior motive
for calling for the cancellation of zoning after the South East had
been made to believe that it was its turn to produce the
presidential candidate in the next polls.

The revelation of the recommendation had sparked a flurry of
protests from some quarters, especially the South East.

This development forced the National Publicity Secretary of the
PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, to issue a statement that the
recommendation was yet to be discussed and adopted by the party’s
hierarchy.

But the statement by Ologbondiyan has not succeeded in assuaging
the feelings of some members.

Reliable party sources said yesterday that the division created
by the recommendation was festering by the day.

“Many governors are disappointed at the decision of the Bauchi
governor to submit the report and even make its resolutions
public,” one of the sources said.

“This is because the issue was already being debated among the
governors prior to the submission of the report.

“The governors were not on the same page over what the party
should do about zoning as regards the 2023 presidential ticket of
the party.

“Even some members of the committee disagree with Governor
Mohammed on the recommendation.”

Apart from Bala Mohammed, other members of the committee were
the deputy national secretary of the party, Emmanuel Agbo who
doubles as secretary of the panel; Sule Lamido and Tanimu Turaki,
both representing North West; while Yakubu Dogara and Alhasan
Muhammadu were selected from the North East.

The rest were Babangida Aliyu and Istafanus Gyang (North
Central), Francis Nwaifuru and Austin Nnamani (South East) and
Austin Okpara and Stella Omu South South.

It was gathered that the committee report does not enjoy the
endorsement of a good number of the committee members.

One of the dissatisfied panelists said: “It is wrong for
Governor Mohammed to have submitted that report because that wasn’t
the position of all members of the committee.

“As at the time of the submission and publicizing of that
report, opinions of committee members on the crucial issue of
zoning and the 2023 presidential ticket were still sharply
divided.

“I want you to go and ask members of the committee if truly we
agreed that the PDP presidential ticket should be thrown open in
2023. We never did.

“The only thing I know is that some members openly expressed the
need for the party to respect zoning while others want the party to
consider the prevailing political factors as we approach 2023.

“At no time did the committee agree that zoning should be done
away with. But it is obvious right from inception that the
committee was being influenced by some external forces.”

Sources also said some governors, especially those from the
south, accused the committee chairman and the national chairman of
the party, Prince Uche Secondus of using the report to advance the
2023 chances of former vice President Abubakar Atiku.

“A governor from the southern part of the country has openly
accused Governor Mohammed and Prince Secondus of using the report
to favour Atiku,” said another source.

“The governor claimed that the report he received from his
state’s representative on the committee is contrary to what
Mohammed presented to Secondus.

“The governor also claimed that the PDP Governors’ Forum got
wind of the report that was presented and following complaints by
some governors, cautioned that the committee should desist from
making such public.

“He alleged that the national chairman insisted that the
presentation of the report should go on. It is our belief that the
committee is being used to achieve a pre-meditated goal.

“The report is not the position of the committee as constituted,
but the parochial view of a few members as encouraged by a partial
arbiter,” our source claimed.

The Nation also gathered that PDP governors from the south may
soon meet over the development.

According to sources, some southern governors are angry that
their northern colleagues are tacitly supporting moves aimed at
jettisoning the zoning principle ahead of the 2023 presidential
election.

They have also allegedly expressed concerns that the national
leadership of the party is indulging the anti-zoning gladiators
over and above those supporting the zoning arrangement.

A source said “dissatisfaction with the report is growing and
threatening its relative peace. The issue of zoning is a crucial
issue and we are afraid that some people are playing some funny
games.

“The leadership of the party has repeatedly said the PDP will
not take decision on zoning just yet. But what they did with the
Mohammed report was to suggest a decision through the back
door.

“Governors of the southern states and other stakeholders from
the zone are not about to allow such pranks.

“Efforts are on to rally concerned chieftains of the party to
get the matter discussed as soon as possible. I know the governors
are also planning to meet over the matter.

“While some of them have expressed their objection to the
report, others are waiting for a formal meeting to state their
positions on the matter.”

Presenting the committee report in Abuja, Mohammed had said the
exigencies of the moment demand that nothing should be compromised
in choosing a leader with the attributes to reposition the
country.

“Therefore, we think that every Nigerian, from every part of the
country, should be given the opportunity to choose the best
candidate, through a credible primary election as a way of
institutionalising a merit-based leadership recruitment process,
for the country,” he said.

*Secondus, Bauchi governor under attack •Southern govs,
others to meet

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled state governors appear
to be at loggerhead over the report of the Bala Mohammed-led
committee which recommended that the party’s presidential ticket
for 2023 be made an all-comer affair.

The committee was charged with the responsibility of
investigating the party’s loss at the 2019 polls.

But its recommendation that aspirants from all the six
geo-political zones in the country should feel free to seek the
party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 election has not gone
down well with some influential governors from the party.

Some of the governors claim Bala Mohammed had an ulterior motive
for calling for the cancellation of zoning after the South East had
been made to believe that it was its turn to produce the
presidential candidate in the next polls.

The revelation of the recommendation had sparked a flurry of
protests from some quarters, especially the South East.

This development forced the National Publicity Secretary of the
PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, to issue a statement that the
recommendation was yet to be discussed and adopted by the party’s
hierarchy.

But the statement by Ologbondiyan has not succeeded in assuaging
the feelings of some members.

Reliable party sources said yesterday that the division created
by the recommendation was festering by the day.

“Many governors are disappointed at the decision of the Bauchi
governor to submit the report and even make its resolutions
public,” one of the sources said.

“This is because the issue was already being debated among the
governors prior to the submission of the report.

“The governors were not on the same page over what the party
should do about zoning as regards the 2023 presidential ticket of
the party.

“Even some members of the committee disagree with Governor
Mohammed on the recommendation.”

Apart from Bala Mohammed, other members of the committee were
the deputy national secretary of the party, Emmanuel Agbo who
doubles as secretary of the panel; Sule Lamido and Tanimu Turaki,
both representing North West; while Yakubu Dogara and Alhasan
Muhammadu were selected from the North East.

The rest were Babangida Aliyu and Istafanus Gyang (North
Central), Francis Nwaifuru and Austin Nnamani (South East) and
Austin Okpara and Stella Omu South South.

It was gathered that the committee report does not enjoy the
endorsement of a good number of the committee members.

One of the dissatisfied panelists said: “It is wrong for
Governor Mohammed to have submitted that report because that wasn’t
the position of all members of the committee.

“As at the time of the submission and publicizing of that
report, opinions of committee members on the crucial issue of
zoning and the 2023 presidential ticket were still sharply
divided.

“I want you to go and ask members of the committee if truly we
agreed that the PDP presidential ticket should be thrown open in
2023. We never did.

“The only thing I know is that some members openly expressed the
need for the party to respect zoning while others want the party to
consider the prevailing political factors as we approach 2023.

“At no time did the committee agree that zoning should be done
away with. But it is obvious right from inception that the
committee was being influenced by some external forces.”

Sources also said some governors, especially those from the
south, accused the committee chairman and the national chairman of
the party, Prince Uche Secondus of using the report to advance the
2023 chances of former vice President Abubakar Atiku.

“A governor from the southern part of the country has openly
accused Governor Mohammed and Prince Secondus of using the report
to favour Atiku,” said another source.

“The governor claimed that the report he received from his
state’s representative on the committee is contrary to what
Mohammed presented to Secondus.

“The governor also claimed that the PDP Governors’ Forum got
wind of the report that was presented and following complaints by
some governors, cautioned that the committee should desist from
making such public.

“He alleged that the national chairman insisted that the
presentation of the report should go on. It is our belief that the
committee is being used to achieve a pre-meditated goal.

“The report is not the position of the committee as constituted,
but the parochial view of a few members as encouraged by a partial
arbiter,” our source claimed.

The Nation also gathered that PDP governors from the south may
soon meet over the development.

According to sources, some southern governors are angry that
their northern colleagues are tacitly supporting moves aimed at
jettisoning the zoning principle ahead of the 2023 presidential
election.

They have also allegedly expressed concerns that the national
leadership of the party is indulging the anti-zoning gladiators
over and above those supporting the zoning arrangement.

A source said “dissatisfaction with the report is growing and
threatening its relative peace. The issue of zoning is a crucial
issue and we are afraid that some people are playing some funny
games.

“The leadership of the party has repeatedly said the PDP will
not take decision on zoning just yet. But what they did with the
Mohammed report was to suggest a decision through the back
door.

“Governors of the southern states and other stakeholders from
the zone are not about to allow such pranks.

“Efforts are on to rally concerned chieftains of the party to
get the matter discussed as soon as possible. I know the governors
are also planning to meet over the matter.

“While some of them have expressed their objection to the
report, others are waiting for a formal meeting to state their
positions on the matter.”

Presenting the committee report in Abuja, Mohammed had said the
exigencies of the moment demand that nothing should be compromised
in choosing a leader with the attributes to reposition the
country.

“Therefore, we think that every Nigerian, from every part of the
country, should be given the opportunity to choose the best
candidate, through a credible primary election as a way of
institutionalising a merit-based leadership recruitment process,
for the country,” he said.