Today's mini-convention of the Peoples Democratic Party is significant to the leadership and members of the ruling party.
Already, delegates to the convention are in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, for the convention, whose organisers have promised, will be a free and fair event.
The non-election of the party's national secretary, which was formerly occupied by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, may take the shine off the convention.
The Chairman, Planning Committee of the Convention, Prof. Jerry Gana, who stated this at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, clarified that the election of the National Secretary had been suspended until the determination of numerous court cases on the matter.
Gana said that the party would conduct election into the office of National Secretary as soon as the cases were disposed off.
He said that aspirants who purchased forms to contest for the office would have their purchase fees refunded accordingly.
Gana said that while preparing for the convention, 14 sub-committees were set up and these include security, accommodation, transport and logistics, among others. He said, "We are waiting for the outcome of the court case before electing the national secretary.''
But there are signs that the convention may not be a crisis- free one. This is because some aspirants from the South-East geo-political zone are already campaigning against the planned zoning of NWC offices to the area. They argued that the offices should be thrown open to all the contestants.
Either open or not, those angling to be the deputy national chairman of the party include the former National Organising Secretary, Mr. Uche Secondus; immediate past Deputy National Chairman, Jaja Sam Jaja; Dr. Sylva Opusunju and Senator Stella Omu.
Secondus may emerge winner having been adopted by the PDP members from his zone-South-South-at Calabar, Cross River State nine days ago.
Those at the meeting were the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih; the Chairman of the PDP Governors' Forum and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio; his Cross River State counterpart, Senator Liyel Imoke, and the National Vice-Chairman of PDP in the zone, Dr. Steve Oru.
Before the stoppage of the election into the office of the national secretary, those who had lined up for the position were a former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; former Ondo State governorship candidate and a former National Legal Adviser of PDP, Chief Olusola Oke; former Minister of Information, Chief Dapo Sarumi and former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran.
They may have to wait for long before knowing whether one of them would occupy the position or Oyinlola would return to his former position.
Those who lined up for the position of National Organising Secretary are Mustapha Abubakar and Bamali.
The immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh; Chyna Iwuanyanwu and Anyanwu Nzennata are also among the 11 aspirants for the position of National Publicity Secretary, even as the former National Woman Leader, Kema Chikwe, is expected to fight it out with 10 other aspirants for the same position.
However, the immediate past National Legal Adviser from Plateau State, Mr. Victor Kwon, could be returned unopposed, as no other person indicated interest in the position.
Others, who may run as unopposed candidates are Jalo Ibrahim (Deputy National Legal Adviser), Ullam Hanatu (Deputy National Woman Leader); Gwalabe Abdu (Deputy National Financial Secretary) and Alhaji Lawal Anche (Deputy National Auditor). Alhaji Garba Chiza from Niger State, who was the former National Youth Leader, is being challenged by four contestants.
Already, aspirants from the South East in a petition signed by Iwuanyanwu on their behalf, condemned the planned zoning of the offices zoned to the South-east.
There are those who also believe that the shifting of the screening by the party from Wednesday to Friday, was aimed at disqualifying some aspirants. They said that " this would stop the aspirants from going to court to seek redress."
Irrespective of the cacophony of voices, the Deputy Senate President, who is also the Secretary, Convention Planning Committee, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, disclosed that an appeal committee for those that may be disqualified by the Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba-led Screening Committee had been set up.
The chairman of the committee, according to him, is the Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, while members are the Minister of State, FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide, and Tafidan.
Ekweremadu however said that the zoning arrangement where the states had the positions prior to the resignation, remained, adding that the party had earlier fixed the positions for geo-political zones and subsequently zoned to states and the status quo stands.
Also, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Publicity sub-committee of the National Convention, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, has expressed strong optimism that today's convention will be successful, just as he called on all stakeholders, officials and members of the PDP to rally round one another to give the party full support as well as ensure a hitch-free convention for the strength and unity of the party to be reinforced once again.
Ihedioha told journalists that rigorous arrangements had been put in place to ensure "one of the best ever conventions organised in the history of the party."
