Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) will today receive and ratify the recommendations of the party’s zoning committee.
The chairman of the committee, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, yesterday told reporters at the Abuja Transcorp Hilton Hotel that his committee had concluded its assignment and would submit its recommendation to the NEC today.
Emmanuel, however, declined comments on the recommendations, insisting that the committee would not disclose its report until it is submitted to the NEC.
The governor, who spoke at the final meeting of the committee members, said decisions taken were unanimously agreed upon by the members and that there were no dissenting voices.
“We all came out of the meeting singing from the same hymn book. We are all in agreement. But we cannot disclose our recommendations now until we have submitted same to the NEC. All I can tell you is that we now have a stronger party,” Emmanuel said.
Sources, however, hinted that the incumbent party chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, may as well be a major beneficiary of the yet-to-be unveiled zoning arrangement.
The source said the committee had zoned the chairmanship position to the Northeast, where Sheriff hailed from and where he appears to tower above other aspirants in the rating by key party stakeholders.
If the projections are right, then the PDP would have zoned its chairmanship and its 2019 presidential ticket to the North.
Commenting on that likely scenario, a former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, said there was no way the party would have the two key positions zoned to the North at the same time.
