“Usual Manoeuvring Which Cost The PDP Woeful Loss Has Commenced Again” Concerned Stakeholders Kick Against Zoning Of Position Of Party National Chairman

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A group within the Peoples Democratic Party, Concerned Stakeholders, has kicked against the recent zoning arrangement of the party which ceded the national chairmanship position to the South-West.

It asked the party’s delegates to boycott the convention of the party scheduled to hold on August 17.

The group, in a statement issued by its patron, Prof. Tayo Adeyemi, on Saturday, said the zoning arrangement was illegal and was tantamount to moving the goalposts. It said the PDP’s constitution did not specify the extent of the power of the caretaker committee.

According to the group, the ambiguity in the provisions of the constitution is a good reason for the party’s leadership to be careful.

The statement partly read, “What are the criteria for candidates vying for the post of the national chairman? This is the problem of the PDP. A national post must have laid down criteria. Candidates vying for such a position must have spent a reasonable number of years in the party, must never have been indicted by the anti-graft agencies and must have never served any jail term.

“It is, therefore, unfortunate that after the chairmanship race commenced and it was obvious that some candidates were getting unpopular , the usual manoeuvring which cost the PDP the woeful loss at the 2015 election has commenced again. Any attempt to suppress the common will of the people would result in a total disintegration of the party.”

Punch