Atiku Strikes New PDP Zoning Deal With Southwest, Southeast

In a major development aimed towards assuaging the Southwest and Southeast supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has reached new zoning deals involving the office of Senate President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF with the two zones.

Vanguard reports that Atiku has reached a deal for the zoning of the office of Senate President to the Southwest with the Southeast getting the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.

GWG.NG reports that the concession of the office of Senate President is a major development as the PDP has traditionally zoned the office of Senate President to the region of the country which produces the president.

The notable exception was in 2011 when Goodluck Jonathan was elected as president and Senator David Mark from the North was already in office as Senate President.

Between 1999 and 2007 when President Olusegun Obasanjo held office, all the Senate Presidents were from the South. The emergence of late President Umaru Yar`Adua took the position to the North which Senator Mark held for an unprecedented eight years.

However, a top member of the PDP National Executive Committee, NEC, who spoke with Vanguard in confidence, said that the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar in a new regime of concessions, “has agreed that Southwest should produce the next Senate President.

“Also, to give further bite for a possible inroad into the southeast, the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has been zoned to the region.”

The source, a former member of the party’s NWC, admitted to Vanguard that the disenchantment of the Southeast, Southwest and the recent reports of financial sleaze in the party were disturbing to the party and hence the new zoning deals reportedly masterminded by Atiku to strengthen the party in the two zones.

According to him, “to say that the issues are not disturbing is to be delusional; the coincidence was shocking and meant to destabilise us, but we will overcome.

“The national chairman had to cut short his medical leave and return so that the issues could be addressed because the development has really affected the southwest more.

“And quite frankly, Ayu, our presidential candidate and a few others have met over the weekend to review earlier power equations and permutations in order to strengthen weak areas.

“For instance, earlier before now, the plan was for the SGF to come to the southwest with the Speakership going to the southeast.

“But from all indications, the southeast power brokers within the party are more interested in the position of the SGF.

“Incidentally, those of us who believe in the Atiku Presidency is of the opinion that the party must review its earlier stance of zoning the Senate President slot to the northwest.

“So at it is now, it is the southwest that will produce the next Senate President because the earlier position of northwest would have empowered a section too much; there must be balance.” 

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