By Emmanuel Oloniruha
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Zoning Committee has zoned the party’s national chairmanship position to the North, ahead of in the party’s Oct. 30, elective national convention.
The Chairman of PDP Zoning Committee, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, disclosed this while reading the communique of the committee’s meeting held on Thursday in Abuja.
He said that the committee resolved that the present national elective positions of the party should be swapped between the north and the south.
He, however, said that the mandate of the committee did not include zoning of the offices of the president, vice president and other executive and legislative offices of the country.
He added that the decision was arrived at after the two meetings of the committee held in Enugu and Abuja.
“At the end of the deliberations of the PDP National Zoning Committee it was resolved as follows:
“The National Zoning Committee of the PDP was given the mandate to zone National offices to be contested by all PDP members of the party at the PDP national convention of the party scheduled for Oct. 30/31 by the national executive committee of the party.
“That the mandate of the committee does not include zoning of the offices of the president, vice president and other executive and legislative offices of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“And the decision of the committee to zone the party offices does not in any way affect the executive and legislative offices in Nigeria.
“That zoning of offices in PDP has traditionally been between the North and South of Nigeria.
“The decision of the PDP zoning committee is in line with the constitution of the Party on zoning and rotation of Party and national offices in the interest of justice, equity and fairness.
“Consequently, the current offices being held by officers in the Southern Zones of the country, namely, South West, South East and South South zones, should swap places with the offices currently in the northern zones of Nigeria, namely, North West, North East and North Central zones,” Ugwuanyi said.
He appreciated the party, especially the National Executive Committee (NEC) that set up the Committee on Sept. 9, for finding them worthy to serve the party in the capacity as zoning committee members.
He said that the committee would pass on its recommendations to the National Executive Committee of the Party through the National Working Committee of the Party.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that presently the PDP national secretary is from North West; National Organising Secretary, South East; national treasurer, North East; National Publicity Secretary – North Central.
Also the National Legal Adviser is presently occupied by the South South, one Deputy National Chairman from North East and South West each, National Women leader – North west and financial Secretary North Central.
Members of the zoning committee includes Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue as the Deputy Chairman, and the Deputy Governor of Zamfara, Mahdi Aliyu Mohammed.