As scheming for the 2023 presidency intensifies, governors elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will meet today in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to strategise on the party’s plan to return to power at the centre.
The director-general (DG) of the PDP Governors’ Forum, (PGF), Hon CID Maduabum, who disclosed this, said the governors will deliberate on how to consolidate on the rescue and rebuild Nigeria project.
Maduabum added that the PDP national chairman Dr Iyorchia Ayu was invited to the meeting.
The meeting comes a few days after the Ayu hosted two presidential aspirants on the party’s platform in Abuja and declared that the PDP has no preferred candidates for elective positions. The aspirants are Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa and Ovation Magazine publisher, Dele Momodu.
What’s more, the meeting which will be hosted by the Rivers State Governor Nyesome Wike follows the end of his tour to seven PDP-controlled states within the last four weeks.
Although Maduabum said today’s meeting will review the state of the states, the state of the nation and the readiness of the PDP to provide the necessary leadership to rescue and rebuild Nigeria, LEADERSHIP learnt that which geopolitical zone produces the party’s flag bearer will dominate discussion at the meeting.
A source close to the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, told LEADERSHIP that the meeting will set criteria for the choice of the party’s presidential candidate amongst other things.
The source said: “The meeting is crucial, imperative and significant at this point in our nation’s political life, because aside from examining critical national issues, the PDP governors, coming to Port Harcourt, would also set the agenda or criteria for the kind of presidential candidate the party would like to produce for the 2023 election as well as come up with a workable formula that would lead to the victory of the party.”
However, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) who spoke with LEADERSHIP in Abuja, said, “Such meetings are expected. But I can only hope that the resolutions will be in the interest of other stakeholders.”
On what the meeting is about, the BoT member who pleaded not to be mentioned, said, “They are likely to discuss how they will close ranks and put up a common front on the issue of zoning and how the party’s presidential candidate will emerge. They might want to repeat the feat they achieved with the recent national convention, especially with regards to the idea of a consensus arrangement.”
