—FORMER Minister of Education and national chairmanship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof Tunde Adeniran has advised Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to support his ambition to emerge the party’s national chairman in the December 9 convention, saying the South-West geopolitical zone will not produce the presidential candidate of the party in 2019.
He also called on the governor to jettison his Presidential aspiration and abide with the zoning arrangement of the party which zoned the Presidency to the North.
Fielding questions from journalists shortly after submitting his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms at the national secretariat of the party yesterday, the aspirant said Fayose’s 2019 Presidential ambition may have led to his decision not to identify with his (Adeniran) chairmanship aspiration yet.
Adeniran said: “My governor is interested in contesting the Presidency of this country and I believe that he thought that well, it will be impossible for us to have the President and national chairman from the same place.
“Now, the more he realizes that the party has taken a decision that our president by the grace of God as for 2019 will come from the North, the more he realizes the reason to stand by the method decided by the party; the more he will realize that the position taken by the party at the convention is a reality and that he will support his brother Adeniran for the chairman.
“In fact, I expect that he will lead the Ekiti State delegation to support me at the convention,” he said.
Makarfi promises credible convention
Speaking earlier, Chairman, National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi pledged the commitment of the committee to conduct a free, fair and credible convention.
He however warned against the danger of breaching the peace pact signed by the aspirants on Tuesday, and urged the erstwhile Ambassador to Germany to call an unnamed supporter of his to order.
He said: “I will assure you that as caretaker committee, we will do our best no matter what a few might say. We are determined to be transparent and to conduct a free and very fair convention where the views of PDP members will prevail.”
Also, he said “one of the key elements of the peace accord we discussed yesterday (Tuesday) was the acknowledgement that the only thing the party has zoned in respect of national issues is the Presidency for North and chairmanship for South. And in the peace accord which we have signed, you categorically stated that by the South, you meant all the states in the South and by the North, all the states in the North.”
According to Makarfi, the NCC won’t stop aspirants from taking a common position, saying the allegations against the committee, was unfair.
“If aspirants come to a conclusion, develop a document and sign, it is very unfair to hear accusations that the caretaker committee has refused to do some things that we have no powers to do. We also did say that wherever there is a political arrangement whether in the North or South to push for consensus, we will acknowledge it.
“Some statements have come from an individual who claims to support or promote your course. To continue to issue press releases condemning the caretaker committee which is completely contrary to the document you signed; you people should be able to call such a person to order if you mean well for this party.
“Such individual has done everything possible to make us compromise by going to the media to say that we have compromised with somebody else. Left for such individuals the caretaker committee should not be in place,” he lamented.
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