A former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki is set to become the next National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, if everything goes as planned regarding the party’s National Convention slated for Ibadan, Oyo state capital next month.
The former minister is expected to succeed Umar Damagun, the current National Chairman if the Convention is allowed to hold.
The opposition party has slated November 15 and 16 for its National Convention where new officers will be elected to run the affairs of the party, except the court cancels the Convention.
A Federal High Court in Abuja is set to rule on October 31 whether the Convention should go ahead. If the judgment favours the party, Turaki will be the man to beat considering that PDP stakeholders from the 19 northern states have picked him the as the preferred candidate.
The PDP had during its recent National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja, the nation’s capital zoned the position to the north, having zoned the presidential ticket of the party to the South.
The decision of the PDP stakeholders from the region was announced on Wednesday in Abuja by Governor Umar Fintiri of Adamawa state after a meeting with key stakeholders of the party from the 19 northern states.
According to the governor, the stakeholders agreed to pick the former minister following deliberations among them, adding however that the position is still opened to any other aspirant who wants to contest the position of the National Chairman, saying the party will not prevent other aspirants from exercising their democratic rights.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders from the North have unanimously adopted former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN) as the chairmanship candidate for the November 15 National Elective Convention of the party.
The Adamawa helmsman said the zoning arrangement is backed by the party’s Constitution
“That is what our constitution says. Anybody is still free to contest but our candidate is Turaki”, the governor stated.
There are still anxiety in the party on whether the Convention will still go ahead, as the opposition party would need to cross the legal hurdle currently before Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High court in Abuja.
Justice Omotosho had on Tuesday stated that he will deliver judgement in a suit seeking to stop the Convention over alleged violations of rules, warning the parties in the suit against unnecessary delay that could stall his judgment.
Three members of the party, the chairperson of the Imo State chapter of the party, Austin Nwachukwu; his Abia State counterpart, Amah Nnanna; and the party’s Secretary for the South-South zone, Turnah George are plaintiffs in the case.
They are asking the court to halt the planned 15 and 16 November convention of the PDP scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, where new national officers are expected to be elected. They alleged breaches of the party’s constitution.
The nine defendants sued in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; the PDP; and the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
Others are the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; the National Working Committee (NWC); the National Executive Committee (NEC); the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; and two members of the party, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.
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