PDP convention: Northern elders move to present credible candidates

Peoples Democratic Party Northern Elders Forum has constituted a sixteen man committee to screen candidates from the region that are aspiring for various positions that have been zoned to the region. The move is part of strategy of leaders from the zone to present credible candidates and where there are more than one candidates aspiring for a particular position, reach a consensus on the candidate that would be presented for the position. The screening committee is headed by former Deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu and is expected to present its report to the committee on the eve of the convention in Portharcourt. According to sources close to the Forum, delegates from the northern zones are also to present a united front on which candidates from the other zones vying for various offices. While the southern part of the country is to produce the national chairman of the party, the north is to produce the party’s national secretary as well as one Vice chairman. Other offices zoned to the North are those of the deputy national chairman 2, ‎national financial secretary, ‎national publicity secretary, ‎national auditor, ‎national woman leader, ‎deputy national treasurer, ‎deputy national organizing secretary, ‎deputy national youth leader,‎ deputy national legal adviser and ‎deputy national secretary. The positions zoned to the south are deputy national chairman 1, ‎national treasurer, ‎national legal adviser, ‎national youth leader, ‎national organizing secretary, ‎deputy national publicity secretary, ‎deputy national woman leader, ‎deputy national auditor and deputy national financial secretary. At the end of its 5th meeting in Abuja, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Northern Leaders Forum‎ the coordinator, Professor Jerry Gana said the essence of the committee was not to impose any person on the delegates but was borne out of “a strategic guideline” for the Northern delegates to back only good candidates. Already, five persons from Kogi state have indicated interest in the position of the National Publicity Secretary of the Party which has been zoned to the state. Among those who have picked nomination form for the position are the Former Special Adviser to the Senator David Mark, Kola Ologbodinyan, a member of the Caretaker Committee from the state, Barrister Usman and three others. For the post of the National chairman of the party which is zoned to the southern part of the country, five persons have picked nomination forms. Those who have picked nomination forms are former Deputy Chairman of the party, Chief Bode George, founder of DAAR Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, former governorship Aspirant of the party for Lagos state in the last gubernatorial election, Jimi Agbaje and others. Members of the 16-man committee inaugurated to screen Candidates of Northern extraction include Senator Ibrahim Mantu Chairman, Hon. Margaret Icheen, Alhaji Y.Y. Suleiman, Alhaji Idris Ibrahim, (former Governor of Kogi state) Ambassador Wilberforce Juta, Mallam Adamu Waziri, Hon. Inuwa Garba, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, former Governor of Sokoto State, Ambassador Aminu Wali‎ and Nuhu Bajoga (former deputy governor of Kaduna state. Others include Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure Emmanuel Jijiwa ‎and three women Hon. Zainab Maina, Mrs Laraba Mallam, pharmacists Nana Shehu Suleiman.