…Tells Bode George to take back seat 

From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja, Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan and Charles Adegbite 

AHEAD of May 21 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has insisted that he prefers former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to continue in office as national chairman of the party.

He said this in Ibadan yesterday when he delivering a lecture titled: “Journalism and Politics: Two sides of a coin,” to mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day at the Press Centre of the Oyo State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Fayose said the South West geo-political zone cannot produce the party’s national now because leaders in the zone were unwilling to become national chairman.

Fayose noted that he initiated the idea that the South West should produce national chairman of the party, but PDP leaders, such as Dr. Bode Olajumoke, when contacted on the project, were unwilling.

He explained further that George met him on the South West chairmanship and he told him that he (Fayose) would not support his candidature.

The Ekiti governor also urged former deputy national chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George to take the back-seat, and added, “we don’t want people above 65 years to be national chairman.”

Regardless, the zoning formula adopted by the party’s National Executive Commmittee (NEC), recently is still causing ripples among members.

Daily Sun gathered that a meeting of some elders of the party will hold in Akure, Ondo State capital today.

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The meeting is at the  instance of the Governor Olusegun Mimiko. On the agenda is which state in the zone would take the offices zoned to the south-west.

But, a similar meeting has been scheduled for Ijebu Igbo, in Ogun State by Senator Kashamu.

National vice-chairman of the party in the zone Makanjuola Ogundipe mandated state chairmen of the party to make themselves available for the Ijebu Igbo meeting scheduled to hold at Omo-Ilu Hall.

Speaking on the development, Ogundipe told Daily Sun in a telephone interview that he was not aware of the meeting in Akure but confirmed the meeting slated for Ijebu Igbo.

He said” I am not aware of any meeting in Akure. “Yes, I can confirm to you that I called the one for Ijebu Igbo. We want to report the situation to stakeholders of the party which is normal. The party constitution mandates me to call zonal meetings.”

Asked why Ijebu Igbo was picked as venue, Ogundipe, responded: “Why not? Is Ijebu Igbo not a city in south-west?”

Also, immediate past national vice chairman of the party for the South West, Chief Ishola Filani, has expressed the need for the northern part of the country to produce the presidential candidate in 2019 and as well as the national chairman of the party for now.

He justified the arrangement. “PDP can regain the power it lost in 2015 to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2019.” he said.

He, however, made it clear that zoning the “chairmanship position to the North now should be interim arrangement because the moment presidential candidate emerges from the North, then the chairman must step down for the South-West to become the chairman of the party.