From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja
The move by leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in South-West to pick a consensus candidate for national chairman of the party may have suffered a setback, Daily Sun gathered.
Following the resolution of leaders of the party in the South to concede the national chairmanship to South-West at a meeting held last Thursday in Port Harcourt, leaders of the party in the zone had fixed a meeting for today in Akure, Ondo State to pick a consensus candidate for the national chairman of the party.
The meeting would also agree on the state to produce candidate for national vice chairman (South-West). Besides the national chairman, other offices zoned to South-West include, the national treasurer and deputy national publicity secretary.
Daily Sun gathered that those in the race for the national chairman include, former deputy national chairman, Chief Bode George, former Lagos State governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje, former Education Minister, Tunde Adeniran and former Minister for Special Duties, Prof, Taoheed Adedoja.
While George from Lagos State has picked the mandatory nomination form, Agbaje also from Lagos and the duo of Professors Adeniran and Adedoja from Ekiti and Oyo states, respectively were yet to pick the forms.
Daily Sun gathered that the two governors from the South-West, along with certain leaders agreed to hold the meeting for the zone to go to the convention as a united political family.
But indication had emerged that one or two of the aspirants have kicked against the Akure meeting, which was meant to zone the offices allotted to the region.
Speaking with Daily Sun on phone yesterday, Prof. Adedoja vowed to reject any arrangement to zone the office of national chairman to any state in the region.
The former minister declared that any aspirant for the office of national chairman should present his or herself to delegates at the scheduled convention.
Meanwhile, Deputy National Chairman of the Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff faction of the party, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh has warned the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee not to proceed with the scheduled convention.
Ojougboh declared at the weekend that any convention conducted by the Makarfi committee would not be accorded recognition, as he noted that his leadership had been stripped of legitimacy by the recent judgment of Justice Obong Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja.