By JIDE AJANI, Editor, Northern Operations & HENRY UMORU

ABUJA—THERE were strong indications, yesterday, that the possible successor to Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, immediate past National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may emerge next week.

Already, a seven-man panel has been instituted by the South East Caucus of the party to screen and present a possible successor.

This came at a time the Plateau State Chapter of the party called for the sack of the embattled Deputy Governor of the state and former minister, Mrs. Pauline Tallen.

Meanwhile, acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Haliru Mohammed Bello, has disclosed that the names of PDP candidates for next April’s general elections were ready for onward presentation to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Nwodo’s successor

The panel is expected to wrap up its proceedings this week.
Vanguard was told that “once the successor receives a presidential blessing, another National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting would be convened next week for the ratification and confirmation of the successor.

Among those already being touted as possible successor is a former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim. Also in contention are former National Vice Chairman of the party from the South East geo-political zone, Chief Ozi Chukwu_Chukwu and incumbent National Vice Chairman of the party from the zone, Olisa Metuh.

Although  it was yet to be made clear at press time, the possible re-entry into the race by former Ebonyi State Governor, Dr. Sam Egwu was also on the cards.

Vanguard was told by a state chairman of the PDP that “the party is moving very fast with a view to ensuring that the South East zone is not seen to be short_changed in the arrangement since their son resigned. The zonal caucus of the party was the one which put together the seven-man committee for the screening and short-listing of Nwodo’s successor. Once the panel finishes its work, it would be for Mr. President to give his blessings and another NEC meeting would be hurriedly conveyed for the ratification of the person to take over.”

Although the party chairman did not want to be dragged into naming the favourite among the contenders, Vanguard has discovered that the odds appear to favour Anyim who was a very strong contender in 2008 for the office before the state governors settled for a compromise candidate in Vincent Ogbulafor.

It is expected that the protracted intrigues which trailed the nomination of Nwodo mid last year would be avoided this time around.

Candidates’ names ready

Answering questions from newsmen, yesterday, after receiving the report of the electoral panel that conducted the Thursday PDP Special National Convention, Dr. Bello who noted that he was holding brief as acting National Chairman, said that no one can categorically say for now the period he would stay before a substantive National Chairman comes in.

He, however, said that the list of the party’s candidates for the April general elections was ready for submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, even as he said that no name will be changed and if there was any reason to do that, the party will not hesitate to drop names irrespective of who was involved.

Bello said: “I am in an acting capacity pending the production of a substantive National Chairman. The area that is the South east which the chairman is zoned are working to produce, and as soon as they produce, we will grow through the normal processes that we have done before.

This is not the first time, but no body can give you a time range, it is a process and once the process is complete, it will carry through according to the constitution of the party.”

The electoral panel chairman, Professor Tunde Adeniran, told Vanguard that the panel carried out its duties without fear or favour, insisting that every step it took was in accordance with the PDP Constitution.

Call for Tallen’s sack

The Plateau State Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Haruna Dabin, in a letter to the Acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, stressed that the call for the sack became imperative against the backdrop that Pauline Tallen had already dumped the PDP for Labour Party, LP, where she is the gubernatorial candidate of the Party in the state for the April governorship election.

Also listed by Dabin as those who can  no longer serve in any organ of the party or act in any capacity for the party from Plateau State are Senator John Shagaya, a serving Senator who has moved to the LP; former Minister of Industry, Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun, Ambassador Bagudu Hirse; Emmanuel Danboyi, Dina Lar, James Ayuba and Ibrahim Hassan. Others are Abbas Wokdung, Sadat Garga, and Nanpon Bongden.

Part of the letter which was also copied the Senate President, Senator David Mark; Plateau State Governor, David Jonah Jang; the Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly, Istifanus Mwansat, and made available to Vanguard yesterday read: “Since these defected members were elected on the platform of our great party, we are by this letter requesting you to use your good offices to remove them from office, especially the Deputy Governor, who is seeking for election on the platform of another party. Same treatment should be applied to those in National and State Assembly, who hold party positions.”

It would be recalled that the Deputy Governor, Pauline Tallen, ran with the governor in the 2007 governorship election. They, thereafter, fell out following some political differences. During the sale of nomination forms by the PDP, she was among those who purchased and submitted forms to wrestle with the governor at the primaries.

At the end of the primaries, Governor Jang emerged the governorship candidate of the party for the April 2011 election and Ignatius Datong Longjan emerged the deputy governorship candidate which then necessitated her movement from the PDP to LP.