Just In : G-5 Governors” plans to hold mini-convention deepens PDP crisis
Indications emerged on Wednesday that the G-5 governors within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are planning to hold a mini convention , which will seems to deepen the crisis within the main opposition party in the country.
The G-5 is made up of Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).
According to reports, the move by the governors for a mini convention is aimed at seeing to the final exit of Dr Iyorchia Ayu as PDP National Chairman. But some Ayu loyalists have countered that no such convention can hold while the suspended chairman’s case is still pending before the court.
It was further learnt that the envisaged mini-convention would be an avenue to rejig the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) as it is presently constituted.
A party source hinted that the NWC members likely to be dropped are the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who is vying for the PDP governorship candidate ticket for the November 11 Imo State election.
Other NWC members who were sponsored to office by the G-5 governors, but who are perceived to have switched loyalties to opposing camps may also not be retained.
The controversy over a mini-convention was among the factors that led to the party’s defeat in the last presidential election.
It was further learnt that the G-5 governors are working hard to ensure that the mini convention is held before May 29 when four of them will be completing their second and final tenure in office, except for the Oyo State governor, who has just been re-elected for a second term.
A source close to the G-5, however, said the North may still retain the national chairman, contrary to the governors’ call for its zoning to go to the South before the last general election.
According to the source, PDP may pick its 2027 presidential candidate from the South.
Another source, who craved anonymity, said the Northcentral where Dr Ayu hailed from, may still retain the national chairman.
However, the G-5, which is being led by Governor Wike, is said to be finding it difficult to secure the buy-in of stakeholders in the party’s critical organs, especially the National Executive Committee (NEC), which is the highest decision making organ of the party.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State is said to be well-disposed to the plan and he is working on some of his close associates in the NEC, with a view to winning them over.
A source confirmed a series of meetings of members of the group with some stakeholders in the last few days.
One of such meetings, he said, took place last week, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, where the governors were reported to have stressed the need for the mini-convention to hold before the May 29 handover date.
However, some key stakeholders have faulted the alleged plan, saying it’s ill-timed and ill-advised for anyone to start discussing mini-convention at this point.
According to them, every right thinking party member ought to be concerned about the fate of the PDP in the last governorship and parliamentary elections in Adamawa, Kebbi and Sokoto states.
