A move to whittle the overbearing powers of state governors in the PDP faltered yesterday when the party's national executive committee failed to approve certain constitution changes. Tempers rose at the NEC meeting in Abuja yesterday as officials made to railroad the committee into giving wholesale endorsement to the amendments, one of which would bring in one senator and one House of Representatives member per state into the exco.
This would dilute the membership of the NEC, now comprising mostly loyalists of the governors.
Because of the resulting disagreement, a committee was set up, headed by President Jonathan, to provide solution to the stalemate.
Members of the committee are Vice President Namadi Sambo, six state governors, six members of the National Assembly, three former chairmen of the party, former chairmen of the Board of Trustees and six members of the National Working Committee.
The committee, according to the resolution of the NEC meeting, presented to journalists by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, will examine the constitutional amendments proposed and present ways forward.
Sources at the NEC meeting told Daily Trust that argument arose at the meeting regarding whether the report of the Chief Olusola Oke-led PDP Constitution Review Committee should be accepted.
While some members wanted the document accepted wholly, others said there must be a vote on it first.
The argument was centred on the grouse of the governors over the planned expansion of NEC membership as contained in the constitution changes.
Jonathan intervened at some point to calm rising tempers. He begged party leaders to work towards unity of the party.
"He (President Jonathan) wants the party to remain one. He said since 1999, no matter has been put to vote before it is resolved. He said issues are resolved amicably through consensus," one source said.
Giving an insight into the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee, committee chairman and party legal adviser Olusola Oke said new party organs were being created.
Oke said there was a proposal for the creation of caucus at local government level and elders committee at the state level, equivalent to the board of trustees at the national level.
He said also an increase in the participation of National Assembly members in the NEC has been recommended and there was suggestion for expansion of the National Caucus with the inclusion of all NWC members together with six governors, one representing each of the geo-political zones.
He said the committee agreed that the existing provision for indirect primaries be retained for security concerns with an adjustment in the composition of legislative congresses.
Meanwhile, the party leadership ratified the zoning of offices for the National Working Committee ahead of the convention on March 24.
The offices, as earlier reported by Daily Trust, are zoned as follows: North East, National Chairman; South South, Deputy National Chairman and National Financial Secretary; South West, National Secretary and National Auditor; North West, National Organizing Secretary and National Treasurer; North Central, National Legal Adviser and National Youth Leader; South East, National Publicity Secretary, Deputy National Secretary and National Woman Leader.
Earlier at the start of the NEC meeting, President Jonathan stressed the need for unity among party members, saying no matter the level of disagreements they will always come to a common position.
"I think for now PDP is the only party we have in Nigeria today that does not have one person that his word is law, most other parties have one leader that their words are laws.
"In PDP there is no one person that his word is law, so we disagree to agree and when we disagree to agree it makes us stronger and we will continue to maintain that."
DailyTrust