PDP Convention: Former ministers bar Sheriff, others

From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja

IN a move to checkmate its National Chairman, Sena­tor Ali Modu Sheriff from participating in the forth­coming national conven­tion of the party, the Forum of former Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP) minis­ters has recommended that members of the outgoing national working commit­tee be barred from contest­ing any of the positions.

Daily Sun investigation showed that Senator Sher­iff reportedly deployed his foot soldiers to lobby stakeholders that the office of national chairman be re­tained in the North East.

But, ahead of the inau­gural sitting of the zoning committee of the party, led by Akwa-Ibom State Gov­ernor, Udom Emmanuel, the forum, led by former Special Duties minister, Saminu Turaki, in their po­sition paper to be presented to the committee, pro­posed that Senator Sheriff and other members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) be dis­qualified. They noted that it would give the party a new beginning.

“In order to give the party a new lease of life, it is imperative that a Clause in the Guidelines for the 2016 National Convention should include a provision barring all those who have served the party especially during the immediate past tenure of the outgoing Na­tional Working Committee members from contesting for any office of the party under the new dispensa­tion.”

In deference to the rec­ommendations of the Sena­tor Ike Ekweremadu Post Election Review Commit­tee which recommended that the North should pro­duce the party presiden­tial candidate in 2019, the Forum aligned itself with it , but went further to pro­pose that the North should equally produce the Sen­ate President and Deputy Speaker.

The Forum further pro­posed to the Governor Udom Emmanuel Commit­tee that the South should produce the party national chairman in the next month national convention and produce Vice-President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of House of Representatives, in the event that the erstwhile ruling party wins the 2019 presidential elections.

Other electives offices of the party it urged the Zon­ing Committee to allot to the South include, the of­fice of deputy national sec­retary, national treasurer, national legal adviser, na­tional youth leader and na­tional organising secretary.