Musikilu Mojeed

The National Secretary of the PDP, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, also described as untrue reports that President Olusegun Obasanjo and the party had narrowed the search for Obasanjo's successor to governors and senators.

The party's position on the issues was made known at a news conference on Monday in Abuja by Maduekwe.

But there was an indication that the 36 state governors would meet in Abuja on Tuesday (today) and Wednesday (tomorrow) in furtherance of their search for Obasanjo's successor among themselves.

Maduekwe spoke against the backdrop of reports that the party had directed the South-South to search for an acceptable presidential candidate for the 2007 election to punish the North for frustrating the third term agenda.

He said politicians from all the geopolitical zones, apart from the South-West, were eligible to vie for the presidency.

He said, "PDP is yet to take a position concerning which of the six geopolitical zones will be encouraged to produce our presidential flag bearer.

"It is admitted, however, that a suggestion has been made that the South-West be exempted from processes leading up to the emergence of a PDP presidential candidate for the 2007 elections for reasons that are fairly obvious."

He said no group had the exclusive right to the presidency.

He said his party was "committed in principle to an inclusive, non-restrictive approach in which the searchlights for a successor to President Olusegun Obasanjo will be both internal and external."

He said it was false that Obasanjo at a meeting on Thursday narrowed the choice of his successor to governors and senators.

He added, "References to the governors and senators at the meeting in question were only in the context of an interactive leadership meeting that involved PDP governors, PDP National Assembly leadership, party leadership and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"The meeting did not in any way contemplate any restriction of the rights of other genuine PDP members to seek PDP presidential nomination as democracy is intrinsically non-restrictive.

"We want as many Nigerians as possible to aspire to this job. Let people talk about this job so that Nigerians can begin to match the policy of merit to that zoning.

"We want as many aspirants as possible because we want people to start talking so that Nigerians will know the ideological posture of those who intend to lead Nigeria."

Asked whether the party, by its new position, was not reneging on the agreement to allow power to shift to the North in 2007, Maduekwe said, the party had not abandoned the zoning as a political principle.

He said, "Our decision to exclude the South-West from the presidential race is an indication that we have not thrown away the principle of zoning. Zoning is not in the constitution and whatever decision we take will be political."

He said the party would roll out its timetable for the 2007 general elections as soon as the Independent National Electoral Commission released its guidelines for the elections.

He disclosed that the party might pick its presidential candidate at a national convention in August.

But as Maduekwe was speaking in Abuja, arrangements were also being concluded for a meeting of the 36 state governors over who succeeds Obasanjo.

It was learnt that the first meeting to be held on Tuesday would be strictly for governors elected on the platform of the PDP.

On Wednesday, another meeting involving all the 36 state governors would be held, also in Abuja.

Sources said that after a disagreement over who should head the search committee for Obasanjo's successor among the governors, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Obong Victor Attah, has been saddled with the job.

It was learnt that Attah, the chairman of the Governors' Forum, was given the job after an agreement that this will not preclude him from being considered for the presidential ticket.

Owing to the pronouncement by Obasanjo on Thursday, some state governors, it was gathered, had intensified lobby for the presidential ticket, especially within the PDP.

Sources said the lobbying is more intense among the South-South governors and their northern counterparts.

Some of those that have reportedly reached out to their counterparts are Attah; his Rivers State counterpart, Dr. Peter Odili; Alhaji Adamu Muazu of Bauchi State; and Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi of Nassarawa State.

Although Obasanjo reportedly favours Odili, most of the governors are said to be rooting for Attah who is believed to be more independent-minded.

A source said the governors may resort to voting both at Tuesday's and Wednesday's meetings to determine who among them should be recommended to the President.

Obasanjo reportedly gave a two-week deadline for a name to be submitted to him.

THE PUNCH, Tuesday, May 30, 2006