As the over 2,800 delegates from the 36 states arrive Abuja for tomorrow’s national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, feelers within the party indicates that the former deputy national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, may emerge as the new

national chairman.

Prince Secondus’ chances were heightened Wednesday night when the chairmanship aspirants from the South-West failed to reach a consensus after a marathon meeting held in Senator Rasheed Ladoja’s house in Maitama, Abuja.

The meeting was convened to look at the possibility of coming up

with a consensus candidate in order to ensure the votes from the South-West was not split at the convention ground.

A source at the meeting disclosed that only Senator Ladoja agreed to step down in favour of

Prof Toaheed Adedoja, who is also from Oyo State with the former governor.

Ladoja was reported to have said at the meeting and why he was stepping down: “My ambition to seek for the national chairmanship position of our great party, the PDP, is not in doubt, but l feel I have to sacrifice this ambition for the overall and collective interest of the South-West and Oyo State to produce the next National Chairman of PDP.

“Since the inception of this party, the PDP, the South-West geopolitical zone is yet to produce the party’s national chairman and I believe it’s now or never if the party wants to make any serious electoral impression in 2019.

“It is against this backdrop and conviction that my stepping down will boost not only the chances of our zone, but garner up more votes for the zones preferred candidate.

“I therefore urge my other brothers to do likewise and let’s support a candidate through

consensus, so that we will not split our votes and in the end lose out in the political equation of our great party,” he said.

Despite this plea, other aspirants stood their ground and refused to step down. Consequently, they opted to go to the convention ground to test their individual popularity and acceptability.

Apart from Ladoja, other aspirants who attended the meeting included Prof. Toaheed Adedoja (Oyo), Prof. Tunde Adeniran (Ekiti), Otunba Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Chief Olabode

George and Jimi Agbaje (Lagos).

This development did not go down with a staunch member of the party, Malàm Haruna

Bamali from Kaduna State, who urged the South-West national chairmanship aspirants to ensure that a consensus candidate emerged to brighten the chances of the zone towards producing the next national chairman of the party.

Feelers from Wadata Plaza national secretariat of PDP indicate that the unwillingness of the

South-West national chairmanship aspirants to pick a consensus candidate is already working in favour of Prince Secondus and High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, the two aspirants from the South-South zone.

All the aspirants have been travelling round the country to meet delegates in the most keenly

contested intra-party election in the history of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the PDP national chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi will today hold two separate

meetings with all the aspirants for the various positions. The first meeting will be exclusively with all chairmanship aspirants while the second meeting will be with aspirants for other

positions and chairmen of state chapters of the party.

•Text courtesy of Nigerian Pilot.

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