PDP zonal officers emerge through consensus; Obasanjo, Bankole absent at S/West congress - N/Central endorses Baraje

By Adeolu Adeyemo, Jackson Udom, Stephen Gbadamosi,Remi Adegoke, Lafia, Bolaji Ogundele, Port Harcourt, Ishola Michael, Bauchi, Jude Ossai, Enugu and Hassan Ibrahim, Kaduna - 05.03.2008

DELEGATES of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the six geopolitical zones of the country on Tuesday elected new zonal vice-chairmen and other party officials at the zonal level. The newly elected zonal officers emerged through the consensus option in many of the zone, with signs of discontent in some of them.

In many of the zones, the consensus option made the congresses peaceful, except in the Southeast where the zonal congress was held under heavy security. The following is a zone by zone report of the congress .

South West
Three prominent Ogun State delegates to the zonal congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest geopolitical zone were on Tuesday absent at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan, venue of the event.

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole; and Ogun State governor, Chief Gbenga Daniel, did not attend the zonal congress.
At the time of going to press, no official reason had been given for their absence and none among party members in the zone commented on the absence of the trio, though many of them were unhappy with the development.

Though, there were indications that the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Alhaja Salmat Badru, who was present, represented her boss. At the congress, a former Commissioner for Finance in Osun State, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, emerged as the party’s new National Vice Chairman, Southwest, to replace Senator Yinka Omilani. Other zonal party executives emerged through consensus.

Present at the zonal congress were Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State, the host; Ekiti State governor, Mr. Segun Oni; their counterparts in Osun and Ondo states, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Dr. Olusegun Agagu. In his address at the congress, Chief Alao-Akala described President Umaru Yar’Adua’s victory at the presidential election petition tribunal as a vindication of former President Obasanjo and the PDP.

He enjoined Yar’Adua to call on his opponents to team up with him, while advising the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, and his counterpart in the Action Congress (AC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to wait till 2011 to test their might again.

North Central
In the North-central geopolitical zone, members of the PDP held the zonal congress in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, where Alhaji Yusuf Ayitogo and Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje emerged as the National vice chairman and National Secretary respectively.

The leadership of the North-central zone emerged through consensus among the party delegates which gathered from the six states including Abuja that make up the zone.

The adoption of Alhaji Abubakar was moved by former auditor of the zone, Chief Godwin Dabo from Benue State, and seconded by one of the candidate from Nasarawa State.

Kwara State governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, confirmed that consensus was reached over every candidate presented as the positions were already zone to each member states.

Presenting the zoning to the congress, the zonal congress monitoring committee chairman, Alhaji Abbah Haji, said since the PDP is big family, all the positions to be contested for were agreed at consensus level.

South South
Chief Okon-Edet Okpubre was elected the Vice Chairman (South-south) of the party at the South-south zonal congress of the party held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Also elected were the Secretary and zonal Organising Secretary, Mr Patrick Aguinega and Mr. Charles Nsiegbe, respectively. The election was done by voice affirmation.

Speaking at the convention, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan charged governors of the states of the region to unite the party by sinking their differences and working for the common good of the region.

Also speaking, the host governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, welcomed the delegates and stressed the need for peace and understanding.

North East
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held its North-east Zonal Congress in Bauchi, Bauchi State, where new executives were elected with the current zonal chairman, Paul Wapa Wampana, retaining his seat.

Announcing the outcome of the election, Chairman of the Electoral Panel, Patricia Amaka Odogwu, declared the winners after a voice affirmation. He expressed satisfaction with the conduct of all the delegates from the six states that make up the North East, calling on the new officials to ensure that they carried all members along in the running of the party.

In his acceptance speech, Wampana thanked the delegates for having confidence in all of them and going ahead to give them the mandate to pilot the affairs of the party for next four years.

The Zonal Congress was attended by the Deputy Speaker, House of Reps, Usman Bayero Nafada; Ministers of Agriculture and Defence, Adamu Maina Waziri and Mahmud Yayale Ahmed respectively; acting Governor of Adamawa State, Taraba State Governor, Danladi Dan Fulani Suntai, as well as immediate past governor of Bauchi State, Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu.

South East
A one-day Southeast zonal congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday ended in Enugu amid tight security even as supporters of Senator Chimaroke Nnamani shunned the elections. .
There were pockets of protests after the announcement of the results as aggrieved members of the party were later calmed by the chairman of the electoral committee, Chief Chibudom Nwuche.
All the Enugu State delegates were those of Governor Sullivan Chime’s camp led by the new chairman of the party in the state, Mr. Vitalis Abba.

Addressing the delegates, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, told them that the reason the congress started late was that they were in the process of negotiation and dialogue and appealed to them for understanding since every body would be carried along.

North West
Apparently disturbed by the poor state of electricity in Nigeria, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on Tuesday in Kaduna vowed that constant power failure would be a foregone issue in Nigeria by 2009.

President Yar’Adua said this at the Kaduna Trade Fair International Conference Hall, venue of the North west zonal congress of the party.

The President was disturbed as light went off on three occasions while he was delivering his speech, shortly after the zonal congress of the PDP where all the executive officers were endorsed through affirmation.

According to the President, “while this congress is going on, it was like I, the senators, other members of the National Assembly, governors and other government officials here, were reminded of something. As we were chanting PDP power, electricity just went off.

“This is a reminder and I want to strongly assure you that by the will of Allah, I and those that I listed, what happened today will never happen again when next we meet like this in the next two years. It will become history in Nigeria by the will of Allah.”