PDP convention: Makarfi raises 82-man zoning committee

The Makarfi-led national caretaker committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has constituted an 82-man zoning committee to zone the party’s offices ahead of the August 17, 2016 national convention slated for Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

‎Makarfi was appointed as chairman of the caretaker committee during the party’s earlier convention which was held on May 21, 2016, in Port Harcourt‎ to run the party for three months within which to organise a national convention for the election of new party leaders.

‎A statement by Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi; member of the committee in charge of Organization and Mobilization‎ said the zoning committee has Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and ‎Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State as chairman and deputy chairman.

He said a former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam is secretary of the zoning committee.

The committee which is to be inaugurated Friday, in Abuja, has former governors of Kano State Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Dr Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Idris Wada (Kogi), Peter Obi (Anambra), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Otunba Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Boni Haruna (Adamawa) and Ibrahim Shema (Katsina) as members.

‎Other prominent members of the committee are ‎a former deputy senate president, Ibrahim Mantu; a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha; a former FCT minister, Bala Mohammed; a former minister of interior, Abba Moro; Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Grace Bent, Effiong Bob, Lee Maeba‎, Danjuma Lar, Joshua Lidani, Philip Aduda and Amb. Umar Damaguma among many others.

But a factional chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff is insisting that the convention must be held in Abuja and that the Makarfi-led national caretaker committee must be dissolved for him (Sheriff) to preside over the convention.

He has also asked Makarfi to nominate 10 persons from his camp while he (Sheriff) would also nominate 10 persons from his group to form the convention committee, without which he said the leadership crisis rocking the party would continue.