Governors under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have arrived in Jos, Plateau State, for a key meeting on Saturday.
The meeting, which comes ahead of the party’s national convention scheduled for next Thursday in Abuja, is aimed at addressing the ongoing leadership tussle within the party.
Although the specific agenda of the meeting has not been officially disclosed, sources within the party indicate that the gathering of the PDP governors in Jos is aimed at solidifying their positions in the upcoming leadership elections. The dispute over the party’s leadership, particularly regarding the position of the national chairman, has been a point of contention in recent months.
The meeting is expected to provide a platform for the governors to articulate their positions and strategies for the election of a new national chairman at the convention.
The party’s leadership crisis went bad following the suspension of the former national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, by his ward exco. Since then, the search for a new leader has been fraught with disagreements over who should fill the role.
A faction of the party led by 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar is pushing for the removal of Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum. Meanwhile, another faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is seeking his retention till a national convention in 2025.
“As the PDP moves closer to its national convention, all eyes are now on the Jos meeting, with party loyalists and observers keen to see whether the governors can broker a resolution to the leadership crisis. The outcome of this crucial meeting could determine the future trajectory of the party, especially in its quest for political relevance in the coming years,” BusinessDay quoted a source as saying in Jos.
