PDP chair: S’West PDP leaders disagree over zoning

The meeting of the South-West leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party held in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Monday over the chairmanship position of the party was inconclusive as the leaders of the party who were in attendance disagreed on zoning of the position to a particular state of the geopolitical zone.

Three positions were said to have been zoned to the region. These are the national chairman, the deputy publicity secretary and the treasurer.

According to the National Vice-Chairman of the party (South-West), Dr. Eddy Olafeso, it was agreed at the Akure meeting that the position of the national chairman should be zoned to Lagos and Ogun states where three aspirants – Chief Bode George, Jimi Agbaje and a former governor of Ogun State Gbenga Daniel came from.

Olafeso said the position of the treasurer was zoned to Ekiti and Ondo states while Osun and Oyo states were given deputy publicity secretary position.

Some of the leaders of the party at the meeting included governors Olusegun Mimiko and Ayodele Fayose of Ondo and Ekiti states respectively, Chief Bode George, Senator Teslim Folarin, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, and a former speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Adejare Bello.

However, the leaders of the party disagreed on the zoning arrangement on the grounds that it was not a democratic arrangement.

One of the national chairmanship aspirants of the party, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, said the Akure meeting was nothing but a jamboree, which he said would not bring any fruitful results.
Speaking through his media, Mr. Taiwo Akeju, Adeniran said, “ Zoning will not work in the issue of the national chairmanship of the PDP. The leaders should allow all those that obtained the forms to contest at the convention, they should allow democracy to work, we want the best candidate to emerge. We don’t want any imposition in this matter. So, today’s (Monday) meeting is just a jamboree thing.”

Another aspirant, Adedoja, said he was not satisfied with the arrangement. He said the party should allow all the aspirants to test their popularity at the convention slated to hold in Port Harcourt, River State.
He said, “All Oyo State delegates disagreed with the zoning arrangement, in spite of where the chairmanship is zoned to. I am contesting for the chairmanship position of the PDP, I do not agree with zoning in totality. “
Earlier before the commencement of the meeting, the senator, representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Buruji Kashamu and some other chieftains from Ogun State had left.

The National Vice-Chairman of the party, who addressed journalists after the meeting, said a six-man committee had been set up to settle all the disagreements over the issue of the chairmanship.