The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is presently tension-soaked over the new zoning arrangement few days to its national convention slated for Oc­tober 30.

Recall that last week Thurs­day, the zoning committee of the party led by the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ug­wuanyi, zoned the national chairman slot of the party to the North.

The committee had in its communiqué said: “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.”

This zoning arrangement announced by the Ugwuanyi-led committee, has, however, drew the ire of some party members, who believe that the decision of the committee was the agenda of the governors because the committee’s position was a total endorsement of an earlier decision at a meeting of the governors on Wednesday night.

Specifically, the caucus of the party at the National Assembly, the Forum of Former Governors as well as many other prominent leaders in the North are not hap­py with the zoning arrangement allegedly imposed on the commit­tee by the governors.

It was learnt that some aggrieved members of the part-year threatening to protest against the zoning arrangement at the 94th meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), scheduled to hold on Thursday.

A source in PDP threw more light on why some members of the party are angry against the zoning arrangement allegedly imposed on the committee by the governors.

The source said that the gover­nors are using it to achieve their earlier plan to prevent serving members of the National Work­ing Committee (NWC) from seeking re-election in the October 30 convention.

Citing section 47(1) of the con­stitution of the PDP, the source disclosed that should NEC endorse the zoning formula as pro­posed by the Ugwuanyi commit­tee, it may prepare grounds for fresh litigation that may affect the holding of the convention.

According to section 47(1) of the PDP constitution, “Allnation­al, zonal, state, local government area and ward officers of the par­ty shall hold office for a term of four years and shall be eligible for re-election for another term and no more.”

The source added that “what the governors a retrying to do is a serious breach of PDP’s constitution, which guarantees the right to seek re-election for every serv­ing member of the NWC. They raised this tone of the meetings of NEC but was seriously op­posed and defeated.

“By suggesting that NWC positions currently held by persons from the North be swapped for positions in the South, they have automatically prevented all serv­ing NWC members from seeking re-election! For instance, what if the serving national chairman wants to seek re-election to the same position? What if the serv­ing national organising secre­tary wants to seek re-election to the same position? You will dis­cover that these persons can’t do so because their positions have been taken away from their zones.”

It was also learnt that details of which zone would produce each of the next 19 member-National Working Committee (NWC) of the party have emerged.

While it was gathered that the North Central geopolitical zone will produce the national chair­man of the party, the zone it was also gathered would produce the national treasurer and national legal adviser.

In the current NWC, North Central holds the positions of national finance secretary and national publicity secretary.

It was also learnt from a source at the party’s national secretariat that the South-West will produce the next national publicity secretary.

The zone currently holds the positions of national treasurer and national deputy chairman (South).

While the South-South is cur­rently holding the positions of the national chairman, and legal adviser, the South-East holds na­tional organising secretary and national youth leader positions.

In the North, the positions of deputy national chairman (North), national woman leader, and national auditor are being occupied by persons from the North-East.

The North-West is currently holding the position of national secretary.

Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, has dumped his ambition to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), ABN TV has re­liably gathered.

The governor, who has not hidden his desire to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, recently said Nigerians were asking him to contest for the seat of the presidency in 2023 general elections.

He also said that he believes he has the necessary qualities to perform excellently as president, especially in uniting the nation, which, according to him, is seri­ously divided.

“The youths and women and all Nigerians, including very objective elite, are asking me to run for president in 2023. And I believe that it is high time that we looked into capacity — who can do the job? Who is going to unify this country? And I think they are seeing something in me that they are asking me to come and unite and fix this country,” he said.

However, speaking with our correspondent, a serving Commissioner in Kogi State, who is a close ally to the gov­ernor, said the governor has toned down his presidential ambition “given a strong feel­ing that the APC might pick its presidential candidate from the South”.

He also added that the resolve by the Southern Governors’ Fo­rum (SGF) that they will work against any political party that picks a presidential flagbear­er from the North in 2023 has really caused a major setback to Governor Bello’s ambition, even though he is yet to formal­ly declare.

“Yes, the governor has not given up but he is laying low now. Many youths and other Nigeri­ans are still asking him to run in 2023andmanysolidaritygroups are still springing up every day declaring support for him.

“However, recent develop­ments in the polity, especially the resolution by the Southern gov­ernors that they won’t support any Northerner has made him to tone down on his ambition. While some people in the APC are calling for the presidential ticket to be thrown open, the majority of party members are calling on the party leadership to zone it to the South, given the fact that President Buhari who is from the North will be completing eight years in 2023. ­

“So, the governor will formally make his position known soon on whether he will contest the presidency or not but he has not given up, especially with mas­sive support and endorsement he keeps receiving throughout the country.”

Another credible source in the party, however, informed ABN TV that the gov­ernor has already begun consul­tations with party leaders on be­coming the running mate of the would-be presidential candidate of the party if the presidential ticket is eventually zoned to the South.

“I am aware he is leaving his options open for a running mate to the presidential candidate if the ticket is zoned to the South because naturally the vice-pres­idential candidate will be picked from the North. But that is also hinged on many factors. If the presidential candidate is a Mus­lim, can Nigerians afford to vote for two Muslims on the same ticket?”

When contacted, Kingsley Fanwo, the state’s Commission­er for Information, declined to respond to our inquiries on whether the governor has given up on his presidential ambition.

However, Onogwu Moham­med, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said since his principal has not officially de­clared his intention to run for president, it is out of place to say he has dropped his presidential ambition.