PDP crisis deepens as northern elders’ forum asks BoT to take over

.The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deteriorated yesterday as a group, Northern Elders Forum, asked the Board of Trustees of the Party (BoT) to take over the running of the party’s affairs pending when a substantive leadership is put in place.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the forum in Abuja yesterday, leader of the group, Professor Jerry Gana, insisted that the proposed convention of the party scheduled for Port Harcourt on May 21, 2016, should be postponed to allow for proper conduct of ward and state congresses.

The elders also rejected the zoning of the party’s chairmanship position to the north, noting that the “zoning arrangement should follow the tradition already established by the party which they said stipulates that there should be a balance between the north and the south.

According to Professor Gana, since the party’s National Working Committee had zoned the presidency in 2019 to the northern part of the country, the chairmanship position should naturally be zoned to the south.

Speaking on why the BoT should take over the leadership of the party, Professor Gana insisted that their tenure “should expire on May 21, 2016 because they have shown to Nigerians that they are either unable or unwilling to bring about change.”

The forum also called on the NWC of the party to shelve the idea of amending the constitution of the party because ‘’the process adopted for the amendment is procedurally wrong and illegal.’’

He said for an amendment to be introduced, such proposal should be taken to each state chapter of the party for at least 90 days while members of the NEC are to study the amendments for at least 30 days before considering the proposed amendment.

Speaking earlier before the commencement of the meeting, Gana expressed regret that he supported the emergence of Ali Modu Sheriff as the chairman of the party for a short period, noting that his support was predicated on the agreement that he would complete the remaining duration of the northeast.