N/Central agitation for chairmanship reignites crisis in PDP

The submission and adoption of the zoning committee’s report by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has opened a fresh battleground, as stakeholders in the North Central have launched an open agitation to take over the party’s national chairmanship from Umar Damagum. The zoning report recommended that all positions currently held in the North remain in […]

The submission and adoption of the zoning committee’s report by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has opened a fresh battleground, as stakeholders in the North Central have launched an open agitation to take over the party’s national chairmanship from Umar Damagum.

The zoning report recommended that all positions currently held in the North remain in the North, while those in the South remain in the South. The decision effectively zoned the national chairmanship to the North and the presidential ticket to the South.

Within both regions, however, stakeholders were asked to further micro-zone positions, taking into account equity, fairness and political realities. Already, southern leaders of the PDP had met in Lagos for a “zoning summit,” where many positions were shared among states and zones, although this has also not been conclusively resolved.

In the North, a longstanding zoning arrangement has been activated following the zoning of the chairmanship and other offices.

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A member of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) told Daily Trust that the North West is being positioned to produce the next national chairman.

“In the North, we don’t need to meet like they did in Lagos,” the NEC member said.

“Once the chairmanship, which is the biggest, was zoned to the North, our existing arrangements were automatically activated. Leaders have started meeting and consultations are ongoing. I can confirm that former Kano governor Ibrahim Shekarau, former Kaduna governor Ahmed Makarfi, and former Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Turaki are already in the race. Others may also join, but these are the frontline contenders.”

Another source, a former youth leader of the PDP, confirmed that the North West is billed to take the chairmanship, though some aspirants from other northern zones are equally indicating interest. Among them are former Benue governor Samuel Ortom and former minister Professor Jerry Gana, both from the North Central.

When contacted, Gana told Daily Trust that his people had asked him to contest for the chairmanship, and that he had agreed. Shekarau, however, denied the speculation through his media aide, while associates insisted consultations were ongoing. Efforts to get responses from Ortom, Makarfi and Turaki were unsuccessful.

But rising from its meeting yesterday, a group of PDP leaders including former Governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwaunyi (Enugu), Ayo Fayose, (Ekiti), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, led by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, demanded that the National Chairman of the party should remain in the North-Central in line with the zoning formula of the 2021 convention.

Despite the apparent consensus tilting toward the North West, voices from the North Central zone are insisting that the chairmanship should remain with them.

Alhaji Abdulrahman Takushara, PDP National Vice Chairman for the North Central, said the zone has already formed a committee to press its case.

According to him, credible leaders such as Professor Gana (Niger), Philip Shaibu (Kogi), Ortom (Benue), and Kawu Baraje (Kwara) are available and prepared to contest.

“The North Central still wants to retain the position of national chairman,” Takushara said. “The NEC has said that positions in the South should remain in the South and those in the North should remain in the North. Our position is simple: the chairmanship should remain in North Central.”

It would be recalled that former Senate President Iyorchia Ayu, from the North Central, was elected as the party’s substantive national chairman in 2021 but was forced out following the controversies that trailed the PDP’s defeat in the 2023 general election. Since then, his deputy from the North East, Ambassador Umar Damagum, had been serving in an acting capacity until his confirmation as substantive chairman at the last NEC meeting. However, sources said the party has resolved that all current members of the National Working Committee (NWC), including Damagum, will not seek re-election during the elective national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

With this background, Takushara noted that the North Central “has capable leaders ready to pilot the affairs of the party. As a zone, we have always shown restraint. Otherwise, we would have demanded Damagum’s removal so that one of us could take over. Remember that Dr Iyorchia Ayu served for barely a year. We deserve the position.”

He added that it was surprising to hear the chairmanship already being linked to the North West without wider consultation. While acknowledging that the PDP has traditions of zoning, he stressed that no one can be barred from contesting.

“Even when the presidential ticket is zoned, people from other regions still contest. We should not be left with nothing. North Central has a huge voting strength that the PDP cannot afford to ignore,” he added.

According to him, “We already know that if the president comes from the South, the vice presidency will go to the North West or North East. That is why we should be allowed to produce the national chairman; otherwise, we will be left with nothing. This is not good for us. There are so many votes in our region, and the PDP should not take them for granted.”

He revealed that the zone has set up a committee led by Senate Minority Leader Abba Morro, with himself and others as members, to liaise with governors and other stakeholders to secure the position.

Supporting this stance, Daka Shan, a former PDP National Vice Chairman for the zone, urged the other northern zones to support the North Central’s bid. He said the region has consistently made sacrifices for the party’s stability and deserves reciprocity.

 

Aspirants line up

Among those expressing readiness to run from the zone is Engineer Terhide Utaan, a former chairmanship aspirant from Benue. He said he accepted the NEC’s zoning decision but insisted he was capable and willing to contest if the North Central is given the slot.

“I am still ready and capable of contesting,” Utaan told Daily Trust. “If the North Central micro-zones to Benue and the leadership finds me worthy, I will run. But as a loyal party man, I will also defer to whatever consensus is reached at the zonal and national levels.”

Meanwhile, the debate over zoning is not limited to the chairmanship. The decision to zone the PDP’s presidential ticket to the South has triggered pushback from some quarters in the North.

Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential aspirant, described the move as undemocratic and vowed to challenge it at the party’s national convention. He cited precedents where the NEC’s decisions were overturned by the convention, recalling his role in 2000 when a similar reversal took place over the tenure of the Barnabas Gemade-led NWC.

“This zoning decision will not stand,” Olawepo-Hashim declared. “Zoning the presidential ticket shuts out capable Nigerians on the basis of region, which is not democratic or constitutional. Nigeria is bleeding. What we need is competence, not primordial sentiments.”

He argued that PDP’s history shows open contests are healthier, noting that in 1999 and 2003, Olusegun Obasanjo faced challengers despite zoning arrangements. “Anyone afraid of an open contest is not fit to be president,” he said.

 

Party defends decision

Responding to criticism, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, insisted the zoning arrangement was not designed to favour any individual but to stabilise the party.

“This party is not about individuals; it is about democracy and the Nigerian people,” Ologunagba said on Arise TV.

“After wide consultation, the decision was taken to maintain existing structures, positions in the North to remain in the North, and those in the South to remain in the South, while zoning the presidency to the South.”

He dismissed suggestions that the arrangement was tailored for former President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Seyi Makinde, or Labour Party’s Peter Obi.

“We are focused on unity and preparation for a successful convention. The PDP is home to credible and qualified leaders who can galvanise Nigerians,” he said.

On the agitation from North Central groups, Ologunagba said dissenting voices were expected. “People will always speak. But when we return to the table, it is the interest of Nigeria that must prevail beyond individuals or regions.”

 

Agitation normal but escalation depends on party’s response – Kari

Commenting on the development, Dr Abubakar Kari of the University of Abuja told Daily Trust that the North Central agitation, while predictable, is unlikely to destabilise the party, at least for now.

“Every zone wants to position itself,” Kari said, adding that “what, however, matters is what happens after the primaries. The party can always revisit its power-sharing formula depending on outcomes. Politics is fluid, dictated by prevailing dynamics.”

According to him, the PDP is likely to undertake further negotiations after the convention to balance interests.

“The North Central’s agitation is normal. Whether it escalates will depend on what concessions they eventually get. For now, it is part of the horse-trading and bargaining that defines party politics,” he said.