2023: Zoning, devolution of power, others top agenda as PDP rejigs manifesto
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to rejig its manifesto in the first quarter of this year. A member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) who doubles as a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, confided in our correspondent on Sunday, in a telephone chat.
He said the review would focus on the economy, devolution and separation of powers.
The source said a top politician with a track record of experience and pedigree would head the committee, which would soon be constituted.
“We have not constituted the committee yet. But the party is going to review its manifesto in this first quarter.
“The review will border on devolution of power, economy and separation of powers to meet the current exigencies,” he said.
Competent sources at the PDP National Secretariat also told our correspondent, yesterday, that political machinations have commenced ahead of the party’s December 2021, national convention.
The current NWC led by the party’s national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, was elected and inaugurated on December 10, 2017, and its tenure would elapse in December 2021 and the party’s convention would be held to elect a new crop of national officers.
Secondus, others planning comeback
But credible sources hinted to our correspondent on Sunday that some NWC members are planning to stage a comeback.
Some members of the NWC who spoke with our correspondent revealed that some party leaders were “plotting” to retain Secondus as the national chairman to lead the party into the 2023 general elections.
They explained that the move was to pave the way for a northerner to emerge the party’s presidential candidate ahead of 2023.
There has been divergent feelings and discordant tunes in the party over the eligibility of Secondus retaining the chairmanship for a second term.
While some have faulted him for not leading the party to victory in the 2019 presidential poll, among other things, others, however, said he had done well as the number of governors on the party’s platform has increased significantly.
But in a reaction, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Diran Odeyemi, told Daily Trust that the alleged moves by some NWC members to retain their positions would be determined by zoning.
Daily Trust