PDP Confused Over National Chairmanship Slot

[emezico]

The office of the national chairman of the party following the election of Aminu Tanbuwal and Emeka Ihedioha as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.

Tanbuwal and Ihedioha were elected by the members of the lower chamber of the National Assembly on Monday in Abuja in defiance of the zoning formula of the PDP, which had earlier been set aside when the party elected Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to represent it in the presidential election last January.

lnvestigations on Friday in Abuja and other parts of the country showed that the PDP was seriously exploring ways of pacifying some aggrieved geo-political sections of the country, especially the South-West, which lost the speakership of the House to Tambuwal, who is from Sokoto, North-West Nigeria.

The PDP National Chairman, Dr. Haliru Mohammed, had, while reacting to, Tambuwal's election,  hinted that the power sharing arrangement would be reviewed.

He had said, "The NWC is currently consulting other organs of the party to re-assess the entire scenario and will come up with an appropriate policy in due course."

It was learnt that although the PDP had earlier zoned the national chairmanship office to the North-East, party leaders were said to have identified the position as the only major remaining political office, which should be given to the South-West to pacify the zone.

But the plan is creating confusion in the party as the North-East, which the position was originally zoned to before the election of Tambuwal as speaker, is also being left out in the cold in the power equation of the country.

The North-East lost the deputy speakership zoned to it to Ihedioha, who is from the South-East during Monday's election in the House.

lnvestigations showed that many members of the party from the North-East were opposing the proposal, which according to them, would amount to "robbing Peter to pay Paul."

"We're aware that the leadership of the party is proposing to give the chairmanship to the South-West," a PDP leader told reporters on Friday on the telephone.

"That will be very difficult, as just like the South-West, we do not have anything. The leaders should not rob Peter to pay Paul."



Source: The Punch