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Former governor of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, and eight other prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have called for the postponement of the party’s national convention slated for May 21, 2016, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The PDP stalwarts, under the aegis of PDP Concerned Group with Aliyu as chairman, issued a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, saying that the current party’s zoning formula for the position of its national chairman was “inconsistent with the original PDP principles.”
Aliyu said:
“The current zoning formula for the position of national chairman as adopted by only 1/3 (one-third) of NEC is inconsistent with the original PDP principles”.
Others who attended the meeting include former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed, Hajiya Zainab Maina, John Odey, Sulaiman Abubakar, Captain Hassan Mohammed (rtd), Sa’idu Ndako Idris, Dr Bolere Ketebu and Alhaji Kaulaha Aliyu,
The group said the procedure and conduct of the congresses nationwide were greeted with disaffection and disagreement.
They maintained that PDP postponement of the convention would enable the party to restrategise, organise and conduct a more cohesive and acceptable national convention and stop aggrieved members from organising parallel congresses and conventions.
The group observed a one-minute silence in memory of the late president Umar Musa Yar’adua who died six years ago.
Meanwhile, the PDP, yesterday, in a statement issued by its national organising secretary, Abubakar Mustapha, announced the cancelation of the congresses held in Adamawa, Lagos and Osun states, saying new committees have been constituted to conduct the primaries from May 6, 2016.