Drama as Sheriff moves PDP NEC to Gombe

From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja

Ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP)  national convention fixed for Port Harcourt on May 21h, National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff may have perfected a plot to ward off opposition against his ambition to remain in office.

The office of national chairman had since been zoned to North-East by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) at its meeting last month.

However, some members of the party’s Board of Trustees, led by former Information minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, who were miffed that a meeting of the statutory organ of the party was not allowed to hold before NEC adopted recommendations of the Governor Udom Emmanuel-led zoning committee, have rejected the zoning of the office of the national chairman to the North-East.

They have also called for postponement of the forthcoming  convention.

Another forum, Concerned PDP Group, led by former Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, has equally threatened to conduct a parallel convention if the convention is not shelved.

Daily Sun investigation indicated that despite threats and admonition by concerned chieftains and call by elders of the party for postponement of the convention, the Sheriff-led National Working Committee has proceeded with its plan to hold the event as scheduled.

For the first time in the history of the erstwhile ruling party, a meeting of its NEC, which normally holds at Wadata Plaza, in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, being the party’s national secretariat, has been fixed for  Gombe State Government House, in the North East geo-politicla zone.

A party source told Daily Sun that the change of venue was informed by “the need for a convivial location.”

The source further revealed that part of the agenda of the NEC meeting fixed for Monday in Gombe is the adoption of a clause to be inserted in the party’s constitution, which would mandate the PDP BoT Chairman seek the approval of the national chairman of the party before convening a BoT meeting.

The subsisting constitution of the party only states that the “the board of trustees shall meet at the instance of the chairman or at the request of half of the members of the board or following a resolution of the board or the national executive committee requesting for such a meeting.”