Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a 37-man committee to discuss issues around its presidential ticket and report back in two weeks. This followed consultations and meetings by the party’s top national leadership organs, namely, the national caucus, Board of Trustees (BoT), and National Executive Committee (NEC) on Wednesday.
PDP also proposed May 28 and 29 as dates for its presidential primaries. It released the nomination fees for the various elective positions, with the presidential nomination form costing N35 million, and sale of forms for all positions starting today, March 17.
Clarifying the details, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, explained, “On zoning, NEC also approved the establishment of a 37-member Zoning Committee to make recommendations for the zoning of the various elective positions for the 2023 general election.”
He said the 37-man committee was at liberty to choose its chairman, adding that all the decisions followed extensive deliberations by the NEC on issues of urgent national importance as well as preparation for the 2023 general election.
Ologunagba stated, “NEC commended the effort of the various organs of our party, the National Working Committee (NWC), the National Caucus, the National Assembly Caucus, the Board of Trustees (BoT), the PDP Governors’ Forum, and our structures at various levels in stabilising our party for the task ahead.
“NEC also commended the commitment of the National Working Committee (NWC) under the chairmanship of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, to further unite and reposition the party ahead of the 2023 general election.
“NEC applauded the NWC for the success of the party in the local government elections in the FCT as well as in recent bye-elections across the country. NEC also commended the NWC for successful conduct of the PDP primaries for Ekiti and Osun states’ governorship elections, respectively, and charged all party members to work hard to ensure victory in the two elections.
“NEC expressed confidence in the ability of the NWC to lead our party to win the presidential election, majority of state governors, as well as majority of seats in the National and State Assemblies.”
On preparations for the 2023 elections, the national publicity secretary said NEC had approved the PDP Electoral Guidelines for the conduct of primary elections. He also said NEC had approved the Timetable and Schedule of Activities of the PDP for the 2023 general election.
NEC also approved a 50 per cent reduction in nomination fees for youths aged 25 to 30 years for various elective positions, he stated.
From a draft sighted by THISDAY, PDP slated its presidential convention to hold on May 28 and 29.
Before the NEC meeting, the national caucus of the party had adopted the setting up of the committee to study and recommend on zoning. This was passed on to NEC, which eventually adopted the recommendation.
THISDAY was told that the national caucus meeting, which started at 10am and ended 3.20pm, witnessed heated arguments from the proponents of zoning in favour of the south and those that wanted the zoning thrown open to all interested aspirants.
The same level of debate also took place at the NEC meeting that started at 5.20pm and ended 9.10pm.
All PDP’s southern governors and other stakeholders spoke passionately in favour of zoning the presidential ticket to the south, insisting such is the mood of the nation.
But the northern stakeholders argued that PDP’s presidential ticket had been in the north for merely two years since the Fourth Republic, while the south had had a 14-year tenure under former President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
The northern stakeholders argued that it was only two years under late President Umaru Yar’Adua that the presidency stayed in the north.
It was after a heated argument that the party’s NEC agreed to set up the 37-man committee to look into the zoning issue in detail.
On the state of the nation, the PDP NEC strongly condemned the heightened insincerity across the country, as well as the corruption and insensitivity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, which had resulted in agonising economic hardship in the country.
NEC condemned the abysmal corruption in the APC government, which it said was responsible for the excruciating fuel crisis and collapse of the national grid that had crippled economic and social activities in our country.
NEC noted that Nigerians were now looking up to PDP for solution and, therefore, urged all members to remain united in the party’s mission to rescue and rebuild the country from the misrule of APC.
In a related development, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal met all the 36 states chairmen of the party, as well as that of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The meeting was to brief them on his presidential ambition.
Meanwhile, PDP NEC approved the commencement of sale of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms from today, March 17. Explaining this, Ologunagba said the cost of State House of Assembly Expression of Interest form was N100, 000, while the Nomination Form was N500, 000; House of Representatives Expression of Interest form, N500, 000, Nomination Form, N2, 000,000; and Senate Expression of Interest form, N500, 000, Nomination form, N3, 000,000.
Others are Governorship Expression of Interest form, N1, 000,000, Nomination form, N20, 000,000; and Presidential Expression of Interest form N5, 000,000, Nomination form, N35, 000,000.
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