South East PDP Lawmakers Threaten To Boycott Convention Over Woman Leader Position
Peoples Democratic Party Federal Lawmakers from the southeast region have threatened to boycott the party’s forthcoming National Convention in Ibadan over alleged moves to rezone the position of National Woman Leader from the Southeast to the South South.
Led by the member representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the lawmakers accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde of masterminding the plan to alter the existing zoning arrangement, saying it is an attempt to humiliate and alienate the Southeast within the party.
They warned that the PDP risks further internal disunity and mass defections if the purported plan is not reversed before the screening exercise scheduled to take place soon.
Speaking in Abuja on behalf of the lawmakers, Ugochinyere, said the position was originally zoned to the Southeast, with Imo State expected to produce the next National Woman Leader.
He explained that the current Southeast Zonal Woman Leader, Ifeyinwa Arodiogbu, was unanimously backed by PDP stakeholders in the region to clinch the position before Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu, now in the All Progressives Congress, APC, allegedly influenced the zoning to his state.
According to him, Mbah’s defection to the ruling party has rendered the earlier arrangement invalid, giving Imo State a legitimate claim to the position.
Ugochinyere disclosed that the lawmakers would issue a disclaimer against the convention in two weeks and would not participate if Imo State and the Southeast are humiliated.
He said, “We don’t want to see PDP suffer more setbacks. Still, we will stick to our position on the Ibadan convention if, in the next few weeks, the position of National Woman Leader is not ceded expressly to Imo State and an Imo person is allowed to emerge.
“Now that Governor Mbah has left for APC, that earlier arrangement of producing a Woman Leader is not going to stand because Gov. Mbah’s Woman Leader nominee is also in APC with him.
“This brings back a chance for the injustice to be addressed and for Imo State to produce the National Woman Leader”.
Speaking further, the lawmaker said if the issue is not attended to, it will be a signal to provoke the entire Southeast and alienate them.
He hinted that stakeholders from the Southeast, led by the federal lawmakers, are now threatening to boycott the Ibadan convention if the position of Woman Leader is not ceded to Imo State and the Southeast is allowed to produce the National Woman Leader.
“This will compound the ongoing confusion we already have in the PDP. If the remaining stakeholders from the Southeast boycott the convention, they are going to bring the party into more crisis.” he further said.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
