One of the contenders for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, has described the holding of the party’s North-West congress as crucial to his success at the forthcoming national convention of the party.
However, the event, postponed many times, was held on Monday with about 1,047 delegates from Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states in attendance.
They also elected Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo from Kano State as the North-West zonal Vice Chairman by consensus.
Equally, four indigenes of Sokoto State: Bashar Isah Jabo,. Sani Tureta,. Sadiq Sanyinna and Hajiya Fatima Inno Attahiru clinched the positions of Zonal Youth Leader, Auditor, National Ex-Officio and Zonal Ex-Officio respectively; while the position of Vice Chairman was keenly contested by two aspirants.
With this, all the 17 positions of the zone, comprising seven ex- officio and 10 zonal official working committee members, are now filled.
According to Tambuwal, who was among dignitaries at the aborted congress last year, the Monday event was significant to the pursuit of his ambition.
“I believe that this is a way of sending political signals to discerning party enthusiasts that we will get there at the national convention by the grace of God,” he said.
“The North-West plays a very significant role in Nigerian politics and its political configuration,” he added.
Describing the congress as a reunion of the party, Tambuwal noted that with the event, the people of North-West and Nigeria are ready to bring the PDP back to power in 2023 as the ruling APC has failed not only the region which gave it its largest votes in the past two general elections, but the country as a whole.
While voting at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium venue of the event, the governor expressed appreciation to the delegates from the seven states of the zone who converged to exercise their civic responsibility.
In his remarks, former Vice President Namadi Sambo thanked the delegates for their efforts for peacefully electing their officers.
He described the party as strong and expressed optimism that it will become victorious in the 2023 general elections.