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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have shifted the battle on its zoning arrangement for the 2023 presidential ticket to its National Executive Committee (NEC).
Daily Sun gathered that though date for the NEC meeting is yet to be fixed, gladiators in the last few days have intensified lobby to ensure the ticket is zoned in their favour.
NEC, the second highest organ of the PDP, is to have the final say on the zoning of offices for the 2023 polls, it was learnt.
“Party leaders from the South and North are mobilising seriously to ensure they have upper hand at the NEC meeting,” a source said.
Meanwhile, the PDP Committee on zoning, yesterday, submitted its report to the National chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
Deputy chairman of the committee, Ndudi Elumelu, who submitted the report on behalf of Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, said members of the panel unanimously agreed on the recommendations in the report.
Inside sources say the committee had recommended that the presidential contest be thrown open to all qualified aspirants.
Ayu, who received the report on behalf of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC), said: “I want to assure you that your recommendations will be transmitted to the national executive of your party, which many of you are members ,it will be discussed and it is at that point that NEC will take a final decision. This decision will be known to party members across the country and all Nigerians who are eagerly awaiting the final decision of your committee.”
The position has not gone down well with PDP leaders from the south, with southern governors insisting the ticket be zoned to the region in the spirit equity and fair play.
A member of the PDP NEC, however, told Daily Sun that whether or not the party organ adopts the Ortom panel reports would depend on the position of governors in the party. He said while the southern governors were intensifying their lobby for the position, the north was also engaging in horse trading dangling the vice presidential slot to the southern governors.
