Battle for NWC slots intensifies in South-West PDP

.Position of national secretary, national auditor, zonal chairman at stake

DETAILS are beginning to emerge on the planned micro-zoning of the three slots to be filled by the South-West in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Checks by the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, indicated intense lobbying by among the various power blocks in the party in the zone as it awaits further directives on the zonal executive committee.

The rising tempo of horse-trading followed the resolution of the 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting zoning the presidency to the South, a development that altered the hitherto micro-zoning formula across the geopolitical zones.  

The six states in the South-West are currently paired by the PDP into three micro-zones with Osun and Oyo constituting one; Lagos and Ogun as another, while Ekiti and Ondo make up the third bloc.    

The three slots that are at stake for the South-West in the NWS include the office of national secretary, national auditor and the zonal chairman.

At the moment, the national offices that reside in the South-West are the deputy national chairman (South); deputy national secretary, and the zonal vice chairman, all of whom are members of the current NWC.

Lagos, which is micro-zoned with Ogun, holds the position of PDP deputy national secretary, just as Ondo currently enjoys the position of national publicity secretary under the Ondo-Ekiti micro zone arrangement.

Similarly, Oyo and Osun produced the deputy national chairman and vice national chairman as both states constitute the third micro zone.

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Sources told the Nigerian Tribune on Monday that some key South-West PDP stakeholders intensified consultations on issues concerning the micro zoning of the national offices following the ceding of the presidential ticket of the party to the southern part of the country.

One of such consultations is expected to take place in the United Kingdom this week between two leading figures from the South-West PDP.

 According to the sources, the “South-West which has six states is further divided into three zones: Ondo and Ekiti constitute one zone; Osun and Oyo is another zone, while Lagos and Ogun make up the third zone.

“The current NWC positions in the South-West are four. Out of the four, Lagos and Ogun were allocated one position, which is the post of deputy national secretary, in the person of Honourable Setonji Kodesho.

“Traditionally, the positions are supposed to rotate in the outgoing NWC whose tenure will expire after the convention of the PDP coming up from November 15 to 16 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

“Lagos got the slot that was given to Lagos and Ogun, so whatever is now micro zoned to that area will naturally come to Ogun State, Lagos having thus taken its turn.”

At the moment, Oyo and Osun, have the slot of deputy national chairman, South, but it is occupied by Oyo.

Osun currently has the position of nation vice chairman who is also the zonal chairman, in the person of Barrister Kamoru Toyese Ajisafe.

Therefore, Osun and Oyo have two positions instead of one slot, which some party stalwarts claimed could be because both states have serving governors.

On the other hand, Ekiti and Ondo produced the national publicity Secretary, Mr Debo Ologunagba, who hails from Ondo State.

The position of the stakeholders is that whoever must emerge from the micro zone should be from Ekiti because Ondo has had its turn.

“That is the traditional zoning formula and arrangement of the PDP,” one of the sources said.

“Now, the two biggest positions that have come to the South-West are national secretary and the national auditor. The third one, which is complementary, is the zonal chairman, South-West chairman of PDP.” 

“Since the presidential ticket has been zoned to the South, the candidate of the party will likely come from the South-West because out of the three zones in the South, the PDP is strongest in the zone. They have two sitting governors: Seyi Makinde and Senator Ademola Adeleke. In the South-East, the PDP has only Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State. But his camp seems to have sympathy for President Bola Tinubu, who got elected on the platform of the the All Progressives Congress (APC),” a PDP leader said.

“In the South-South, suspended Governor Simi Fubara is facing serious challenges in Rivers, leaving Governor Duoye Diri as the only man that is truly standing. So, if that is the case, Governor Makinde of Oyo State is favoured for PDP ticket as Adeleke, who is angling for a second term, would not want to gamble. Makinde will be completing his second term in office.

“If the governor emerges as presidential candidate, neither Oyo State nor Osun should be eligible for the position of national secretary because they cannot take two key positions.”

Many stakeholders in the South-West PDP are said to be pushing for the position of national secretary to be micro zoned to Lagos and Ogun.

According to them, since the former produced the incumbent deputy national secretary, the slot could go to Ogun.