2023: PDP Appoints Seven Ex-national Chairmen, NASS Leaders, Others To Prosecute Atiku’s Campaign

All the living former national chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) since 1999, except five, have been listed as members of the Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC) of the party for next year’s presidential election.

Also, some past governors and presiding officers of the National Assembly still in the party were also listed as members of the council.

The list of the 352-member committee was released by the main opposition party on Thursday in Abuja.

Its mandate is to organise the campaign of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, for the 2023 election.

The council will be inaugurated on 28 September.

Atiku, vice president of the country between 1999 and 2007, was elected the party’s flag bearer in May after defeating 12 other aspirants. He was also the party’s candidate in the 2019 election but lost to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The PCC is chaired by Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State with Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State named as vice chairmen, north and south, respectively.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State was named the director general of the Presidential Campaign Management Committee (PCMC) with four others serving as his deputies in strategic areas – operations, administration, technical and systems and research and strategy.

Past chairmen

A perusal of the list showed that the past substantive chairmen and acting chairmen of the party since 1999 were appointed into the PCC even though some of them are no longer active politically.

While others are ordinary members, Mr Nwodo, the Third Republic governor of Enugu State, was named the deputy director general (research and strategy) of the PCMC.

The past PDP chairmen not appointed into the PCC are Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbeh, Bamanga Tukur, Ali Modu Sheriff, and Uche Secondus.

While Messrs Gemade, Ogbeh and Modu-Sheriff are currently members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), no reason was given for leaving out Mr Secondus who was the party’s chairman between 2017 and 2021. On his part, Mr Tukur is no longer active politically.

Similarly, Mr Ogbeh is not playing active politics, being the chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, the northern socio-cultural group.

Former vice president, Alex Ekwueme, who was the party’s interim chairman in 1998 when it was formed and Ex-Governor Solomon Lar, who led the party between 1998 and 1999, are both late.

Notably, all the chairmen, except Mr Ali, left office under controversial circumstances.

The party also recalled some of its previous officials, including three former national secretaries, Wale Oladipo, Ben Obi and Umar Tsauri, two former spokespersons, Emmanuel Ibeshi and Olisa Metuh, and a former National Women Leader, Josephine Anenih, who later served as women affairs minister.

However, the vocal former National Deputy Chairman of the PDP, Bode George, who has been critical of Mr Ayu’s retention as national chairman, was not named a member of the committee.

Former governors

No fewer than 26 former PDP governors who are still members of the party, also made the campaign list.

They are Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), James Ibori (Delta), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Shaba Lafiagi (Kwara), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Donald Duke (Cross River), Ayo Fayose (Ekiti) and Namadi Sambo (Kaduna), who is also a former vice president of the country.

Others are Lucky Igbinedion (Edo), Theodore Orji (Abia), Idris Wada (Kogi), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Jim Nwobodo (old Anambra), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Ibrahim Idris (Kogi), Emeka Ihedioha (Imo), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Okwesilieze Nwodo (Enugu), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) and Bukola Saraki (Kwara), who was also senate president.

While one (Nwobodo) served in the Second Republic, two others, namely Lafiagi and Nwodo served in the botched Third Republic. The remainder served in the current democratic dispensation beginning from 1999.

Messrs Bafarawa and Shekarau were defunct ANPP governors while Mr Ogbeha served as military governor of Akwa Ibom State.

All the current PDP governors are members of the council.

Former presiding officers of National Assembly

Previous presiding officers of the National Assembly who still retained their membership of the opposition party were also named as part of the organisers of Atiku’s campaign.

Those appointed are former Senate Presidents Pius Anyim, David Mark, Adolphus Wabara (who is the acting chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees), Mr Saraki and Iyorchia Ayu, the current national chairman of the party.

Mr Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently in detention in London, is the only former deputy senate president in the PCC.

A former senate president, Ken Nnamani, who was a member of the party, has since joined the APC where he had aspired to be president of the country a few months ago.

Evans Enwerem and Chuba Okadigbo, who elected senate presidents on PDP’s ticket are late.

From the House of Representatives are former Speaker Tambuwal and Salisu Buhari. Former deputy speakers on the list are Mr Ihedioha, Austin Opara and Chibudom Nwuche.

Two former Speakers, Yakubu Dogara and Dimeji Bankole, who were members of the party, are currently with the ruling APC.

Ditto for Aminu Masari, presently serving as Katsina governor and Patrick Etteh. Ghali Umar Na’Abba has since dumped the PDP.

Several serving senators and members of the House of Representatives as well as numerous former ministers are also members of the campaign council.

Curiously, some presidential aspirants who slugged it out with Atiku in the primary in May were included as campaigners. They are Sam Ohuabunwa and Mohammed Hayatudeen, who pulled out of the race some days to the primary.

Speaking on the composition, a former deputy national publicity secretary of the PDP, Diran Odeyemi, said the people appointed into the committee are those “who know the strategy of winning elections.”

He added that the PDP has enough assets to prosecute the 2023 presidential election and ensure Atiku’s emergence as the country’s next president. (Premium Times)

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