The last 24 hours have witnessed intensive lobbying for President Goodluck Jonathan’s
endorsement by aspirants jostling for the vacant
National Working Committee (NWC) positions of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for which
elections are to be held at the Eagles Square,
Abuja today. Impeccable sources at the party secretariat told
Saturday Independent in confidence that while
some groups within the party who felt their
chances were being dimmed by the reported
adoption of some candidates for certain offices in
the NWC, and had hired some persons who had been holding protests at the party secretariat at
different times in the last fours days, some others
who felt that their chances can be brightened by
presidential endorsement have continued
intensifying the efforts at getting it. However, it is expected that a total of 77 aspirants
will slug it out at the Eagle Square today for the
vacant 17 offices within the NWC as none of the
aspirants have agreed to step down from the race
despite intense pressure mounted on them in the
last three days by various interests within the party. With the offices allocated to zones for occupation,
the zonal executives of the party in the zone had
also held meetings with stakeholders where the
offices were re-allocated to states within the
zones based on certain criteria. The South East zone was the last to carry out the
re-allocation which has even generated
controversies within the party. Adoption of candidates for the specific offices has
also torn the South South zone apart as some of
the candidates vying for the post of the Deputy
National Chairman are kicking against the said
adoption of Jonathan’s candidate, Prince Uche
Secondus. Sources at the party secretariat confided in
Saturday Independent that sponsors of
candidates as well as the candidates themselves,
who had the feeling that presidential
endorsement will do their candidature well, were
said to have mounted pressures on some presidential aides towards having the ears of the
President even as late as Friday. The most likely contentious position up for grab
at the convention might be the office of the
Deputy National Chairman and that of the National
Publicity Secretary for which aspirants who are not
from the states to which the positions have been
re-zoned are refusing to give up. Aside from Secondus, others in the race for the
position of Deputy National Chairman are Mrs.
Stella Omu, Dr Sam Sam Jaja and Ambassador
Peter Dongo Isibor. The opposition to Secondus is quite tough as the
rest of the aspirants are spoiling for war over his
unilateral adoption for the position by some
stalwarts of the party from the zone led by the
PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony
Anenih, and the Zonal Vice-Chairman, Dr Steve Oruh. The “group of elders” had last weekend in
Calabar, the Cross Rivers State capital adopted
Secondus as the candidate for the office of deputy
national chairman. Checks revealed that the former National
Organising secretary of the party was Jonathan’s
candidate for the position at the 2012 convention
but lost out to power play between the President
and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi’s
anointed candidate for the same position, Jaja. However, the race might be quite tough for Jaja
too who was pronounced expelled from the PDP
by the Felix Obuah-led executive of the party in
River State last week. He was “expelled” alongside 14 other members
of the party who are perceived to be Amaechi’s
loyalists. The same tight fight is expected for the office of
the National Publicity Secretary as other
candidates who are not from Anambra State are
refusing to throw in the towel. The South East zonal leadership re-zoned the
office to Anambra on Wednesday with a view to
giving Olisa Metuh an advantage but other
contestants from other South East states are
having none of it, as they have all vowed to go to
the poll today irrespective of whatever decisions have been taken by the zonal leaders. In the light of the refusal to bow to the wish of
some “elders” a total of 77 aspirants who have
showed interest in the 17 offices due to be
contested are expected to slug it out today. The offices include the Deputy National Chairman,
Deputy National Secretary, National Organising
Secretary, Deputy National Organising Secretary,
National Publicity Secretary, Deputy National
Publicity Secretary, National Treasurer, Deputy
National Treasurer, National Legal Adviser and Deputy National Legal Adviser. Others are National Woman Leader, Deputy
National Woman Leader, National Youth Leader,
Deputy National Youth leader, Deputy National
Youth Leader, Deputy Financial Secretary, Deputy
National Auditor and Ex-officio members. Giving an update on preparations for today’s
convention, Chairman of the Convention Planning
Committee, Professor Jerry Gana, told journalists
that the office of National Secretary of the party
would not be contested for in view of subsisting
litigations over it. The party had been restrained from declaring the
office vacant, following a restraining order in a
suit instituted by former National Secretary of the
party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Gana however assured aspirants who picked
nomination forms for the office that their money
would be refunded.
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