DECEMBER 9 CONVENTION

the contentious issue about micro zoning of the national chairmanship seat to a particular zone in the south.

While reacting to insinuations that the leadership was behind the move to alter the micro zoning arrangement, which ceded the national chairmanship seat to the South-west, Makarfi said there was no truth in the assumption.”

He however cautioned against pushing the leadership of the party to assume powers that could make it act arbitrarily and which the party will later regret. Makarfi who said this during the opening of the 76th National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP recently, said the NCC has no power ascribed to it to warrant its interference in the choice of chairman of the party.

On the outcome of the meeting with aspirants, he said they sought and obtained from the aspirants the fact that they would all approach the contest with decorum.

A former President of the Senate, another

Continued from Pg. 69 top member of the PDP, Senator David Mark pleaded with party faithful to reflect on the issues that led to the fall of the PDP in 2015 and do well by avoiding the pitfalls at the convention. He warned against impunity and imposition of candidates.

As it is now, everyone in the PDP appears to be taking positions based on permutations for the 2019 presidential ticket and where their interest will be served best. According to the approved schedule of activities for the forthcoming PDP elective convention, the sale of nomination forms and submission of completed forms is November 19, while screening of chairmanship aspirants will take place on November 22.

But many observers have cautioned against allowing the struggle for the next chairman of the PDP to generate another round of intra-party crisis as the party may ill-afford it and may not have a second chance of recovery before the 2019 elections.