PDP NWC: Why we won’t insist on zoning – Makarfi

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By; SUNDAY ODE, Abuja.
In pite of the zoning of party national offices to different sections of the country, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not stop any aspirant who does not agree with the zoning principle from contesting any position of his/her choice.
 
The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, made this declaration while inaugurating the 242-member national planning committee of the party’s national convention and finance committees of the party in Abuja on Friday.
 
The party holds its national convention on August 17, 2016 in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
 
This is coming at the heels of Chief Raymond Dopkesi’s rejection of the zoning of the office of the national chairman of the party to South West done by southern stakeholders of the party at a meeting in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The media mogul from south south who had since been touring the country to garner support for his chairmanship ambition, is insisting on contesting the post since it had been zoned to the south.
Makarfi has now noted that even though the party stakeholders have on their own re-zoned the positions meant for their zones to specifics geo-political zones, whoever was not satisfied with the arrangement can go ahead and contest his/her preferred position.
He said even though the zoning of the posts was in the party’s best interest, the PDP would not want to exclude anyone.
The party boss said: “I recall when we last met here to inaugurate the zoning committee, I mentioned on behalf of the caretaker committee that the convention will be an all-inclusive one and that offices to be contested for will be open to all and sundry.
“That doesn’t mean people cannot come together to zone offices.
“If zoning does not favour you and you still think that you have the best chance of winning, the political landscape is there, it’s up to you to campaign across the country to get enough delegates to win.
 
“Zoning doesn’t mean you have been excluded. Zoning is meeting of the minds and it is for every aspirant to assess by him or herself whether he or she has the capacity to garner more support than a collection of people that come together to have a common position.
 
“So, I don’t want people to have the impression that they have been excluded from the process. After all, in democracy, minority will have their say and majority will have their way.
 
“But in PDP, even when minority have their say and majority have their way, we have the culture of coming together to be one family so that both minority and majors work together for the good of PDP.”
 
Makarfi stressed that it was important for members to participate in the activities of the sub-committees set up for the national convention, admonishing in conducting the convention, the members must observer the law, be brisk and orderly.
He said the party must conduct an open and transparent convention.

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