Esiso chairs Lagos PDP panel

Shekarau to head party’s congress committee

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appointed Mr. Samuel Esiso to chair the Lagos State Electoral Appeal Panel to handle appeals arising from the congresses of the party held in the state.

According to a letter addressed to Esiso by National Director of Organization and Mobilization, Chief Adewale Faona, on behalf of the national organizing secretary of the party, the appeals would be entertained tomorrow (Friday).

Other members of the panel, according to the letter, are Hussaini Baba, Gana Mustapha and Aisha Mohammed while Aisha Salihu Lemu will act as member/secretary.

The panel members were advised to be faithful and to show exemplary conduct and strict adherence to rules and regulations in carrying out their assignment.

They were urged to conduct themselves only in manners that would justify the confidence reposed in them by the leadership of the party.

MEANWHILE, a strong source from the party yesterday disclosed that former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, who is now the Chairman, Congress Committee for Lagos PDP, has appealed to all stakeholders in the party to work as a team “to achieve hitch-free congresses.”

He made the appeal during a meeting he held with some of the party’s leaders in Lagos.

The Guardian gathered that other members of the Shekarau committee include Bashiru Magudu, the secretary, Jafaru Sani Bello, Mohammed baba Yali and Tony Okechukwu.

The source further disclosed that the Shekarau team arrived in Lagos on Sunday and it has since met with the likes of Chief Bode George and Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe in one group and Kola Balogun and Eng. Tokunboh Kamson in the other.

Giving the details of what transpired in the meeting, the source disclosed that by virtue of the appointment of a new congress committee “earlier congresses held have been nullified and fresh ones are set to commence across the wards, local government and state levels.”

The source further said, “The Shekarau Committee, having discovered the fact there is acrimony within the party, despite the milestone it achieved during the 2015 election, in which it won six seats in the State House of Assembly and eight in the House of Representatives, decided to agree on a 40/60 percent distribution of positions among the two groups of stakeholders in the state, from the ward to the state levels.

This was aimed to create room for peace.”

Shekarau has however appealed to members of the party not to place their personal interest above the party, as he also expressed optimism that the Lagos PDP can still oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if it put its house in order.

The Guardian also gathered that Shekarau, while addressing the party’s stakeholders, set up a 10 man Committee to midwife and ensure successful congresses from the ward to the state level.

According to him, “The Bode George and Kola Balogun groups were directed to nominate four representatives each as members of the committee while a lawmaker each from the House of Representatives and the State Assembly will join. Part of the schedule of the 10-man committee was to go and examine the 40 to 60 per cent sharing formula for everybody to understand his or her schedule.”

The source however said Shakarau got angry midway into the meeting when he was informed that a group had already gone to obtain forms for the election.

When asked to confirm the development, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Taofik Gani said, “The party now has a new congress committee chairman in the person of Shekarau, who is reliable, tested and trusted to midwife smooth congresses in Lagos.”

He appealed to all stakeholders in the party on the need to cooperate with the new congress committee in the interest of all.