Nigerians to know new chairmen for PDP, BoT Thursday

All things being equal, there are possibilities that a new National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) may emerge tomorrow, Thursday.

Besides, a new chairman may also be appointed for the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).

Towards this end, the party has already fixed a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) for that day, possibly to appoint a substantive National Chairman which it lacked since its chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, a former governor of Bauchi State unceremoniously resigned his appointment following the disastrous outing of the party in last year’s general election where it lost the presidency after its routing by the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ahead of Thursday, a lot of political horse-trading has already began among politicians from the zones jostling to fill the position. The party has already zoned the post to the North- east where the erstwhile chairman hails from.

There are reports that the North-east and South- west caucuses of the party have sealed a deal to ensure that whoever emerges from the North-east gets only a six- month tenure, while someone from the south-west will take over subsequently.

Governor Ayodele Fayose has been canvassing that the next chairman of the party should come from the south-west insisting that the north has had its fair share.

Thursday’s meeting would be preceded with the meeting of other statutory organs of the party; the PDP national caucus and the Board of Trustees (BoT).

The two organs are expected to ratify the candidate to be presented by the North- east caucus of the party.

The caucus meeting would hold on Tuesday while the Board of Trustees meeting will hold on Wednesday.

Besides, the BoT members may also appoint a substantive Chairman to replace Haliru Bello who has been holding forth in acting capacity after the exit of its erstwhile Chairman, Tony Anenih last May.

The development follows the sacking of the acting national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus by an Abuja High Court last month.

Following the sack, a former presidential adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak had declared himself chairman of the party, a development that had thrown the party in crisis with some governors backing him and asking Secondus to resign.

Thursday’s meeting is expected to iron out the differences so as to be able to move forward with its reforms ahead of the 2019 general elections. (Daily Times)