Crisis looms in N/West PDP over zoning of positions

CRISIS appears to be looming in the North-West chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the plan to micro zone the positions zoned to the North-Western part of the country in the forthcoming national elective convention of the party.

It was gathered that the emerging crisis has placed the former vice-president, Namadi Sambo, the National Caretaker Committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and the former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido on collision course as loyalists of the caretaker chairman were said to be toying with a planned micro zoning arrangement.

The zone was allotted the post of National Secretary and National Woman Leader in the forthcoming convention.

Sources claimed to Sunday Tribune that some loyalists of the National Caretaker chairman are planning to impose some persons on the zone, a bid that has been resisted by other stakeholders.

Sources said that a stakeholders meeting which held last Thursday to resolve the crisis ended in a fiasco as none of the elders agreed to the micro-zoning arrangement.

It was further gathered that the zone was toying with micro zoning the position of the National Secretary to Kaduna and Katsina states while the position of National Woman leader would be zoned to Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states.

But sources said that leaders of the zone resisted that arrangement for failing to secure their consensus.

It was gathered that some loyalists of Makarfi had planned to micro-zone the position of National Secretary to Katsina State so as to free Kaduna State for the emergence of Makarfi in the 2019 presidential race.

It was gathered that the group of Makarfi’s loyalists are not only seeking to micro-zone the post of secretary but also targeted a particular former senator from Katsina State to take the slot ahead of an aspirant from Kaduna, a former national organising secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha.

Mustapha is said to come from the same local government as Makarfi and his emergence could affect Makarfi’s 2019 presidential ambition.

Makarfi’s loyalists were also said to be opposed to Mustapha due to his perceived closeness to former Vice-President Namadi Sambo.

In view of the disagreements, an emergency meeting of stakeholders of the zone was said to have taken place Thursday night at the Abuja of former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, but it ended in deadlock.

Those who attended the meeting according to sources include Sambo; Makarfi; Sule Lamido; former minister, Kabiru Turaki; the zonal chairman, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure and Bafarawa, among others.

A source at the meeting said: “The Chairman National Caretaker Committee of PDP, Ahmed Makarfi had said no to micro-zoning of all the offices, but he is doing it now in his own zone, the North-West, because of his 2019 presidential ambition, which is not good for the party. This is another case of impunity that pushed the PDP from a ruling party to an opposition party; it does not augur well for our party now.”