PDP govs meet with Yar'Adua over national chairmanship candidates

Okey Muogbo, Abuja - 04.03.2008

AHEAD of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention on Saturday, governors of states controlled by the party on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, approached President Umaru Yar’Adua with a proposal to endorse their own candidate.

The governors were said to have fine-tuned their strategies during a meeting at the Kwara State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja on Sunday night, which culminated in the setting up of a seven-man screening panel chaired by Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Other members of the panel, drawn from the six geopolitical zones, are governors Gabriel Suswan (Benue), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Mohammed Goje (Gombe), and Namadi Sambo (Kaduna).

According to sources, the panel is expected to conclude its assignment by Thursday and make its consensus candidates known by Friday with a view to having the governors and their various delegates give a block vote at the convention venue the following day.

It was further revealed that the Governors Forum would meet on Thursday to endorse the candidates selected by the screening committee and thereafter inform the President of its choices.

The source added that the governors told Yar’Adua about their plan at a two-hour breakfast meeting at the State House and sought his cooperation and support so as to make the convention rancour-free.

It was not, however, clear if President Yar’Adua would go along with the governors' idea, but the governors may likely have their way given the large number of convention delegates under their control.

At the end of Sunday night’s meeting at Kwara Governor’s Lodge, the state governor, who is also the chairman of the Governors Forum, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said the meeting was convened to ensure smooth and peaceful convention on Saturday.

According to him, “we discussed the forthcoming PDP convention which is coming up on Saturday. We consulted generally and we are also meeting with the President to also deliberate and discuss the way forward.

“We intend to come back here on Thursday to take a firm decision on the way forward, to ensure that we have smooth convention; the one that will make the party stronger, one that will lead the way in electoral processes,” he said.