‘PDP not in a hurry for new chairman’

 

The Peoples Democratic Party is not a hurry to elect a new national chairman, investigations by The PUNCH have revealed.

The party had earlier said it was shopping for a replacement for its former chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, who resigned after the party’s poor performance during the general elections.

Mu’azu, a former governor of Bauchi State, usually referred to as “Game Changer”, had led the party to its worst electoral outing since its creation 16 years ago.

His resignation on May 20 had paved the way for the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, to assume office as acting national chairman.

However, investigations by our correspondent in Abuja in the past one week, indicated that the party was not in a hurry to elect another chairman.

Before now, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, had told our correspondent that the party was waiting for the outcome of the report of the Post-Election Assessment Committee of the party.

The committee, which is headed by the outgoing Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was set up on May 3 and the 15-member committee was given three weeks to submit its report.

However, Metuh told our correspondent in Abuja on Monday that the committee had sought and got 10 weeks extension.

He said that until the committee submits its report, the party would also not be able to convey the meeting of its National Executive Committee.

NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the party and it is its responsibility to elect a new national chairman for the party.

“The Ekweremadu committee has asked for and has been given a 10-week extension. Until the committee submits its report, we cannot have NEC meeting,” Metuh said.

He also said that what was important to the party at the moment was the election of the principal officers of the National Assembly.

The PDP had seven different chairmen under former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari in the April 11 presidential election.

Those who served as chairmen of the party during the six years of Jonathan’s presidency were Prince Ogbulafor, Dr. Okwesilize Nwodo, Dr. Haliru Bello, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Mu’azu and the current acting national chairman, Secondus.