By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — FRANTIC efforts by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to force members of the House of Representatives, elected on the party’s platform to accept the present zoning formula, yesterday, failed.

Vanguard gathered that the meeting, at the instance of the Acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, was designed to make the Representatives accept the PDP’s position that the South West gets the office of Speaker while the office of the Deputy Speaker should go to the Northeast.

It was gathered that the meeting  was deadlocked following the Members’ insistence that there was no agreement.
The meeting which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel lasted till early hours of the next day with both the returning and outgoing members of the House of Representatives in attendance.

It was also gathered that the meeting became imperative because of the gradual implementation of the zoning formula of the PDP with the appointment of Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, having zoned the position to the South East.

A source said that President Goodluck Jonathan who was not comfortable with the heated debate  the issue has been generating since the PDP came up with the zoning formula at the end of the Expanded National Caucus of the party last month, directed the Mohammed-led National Working Committee, NWC, to urgently address the issue as well as ensure that the zoning formula was strictly adhered to.

Respect for party position

A source at the meeting said that Haliru Mohammed who presided appealed to the Reps to respect the party’s position and ensure that the decision of the party was supreme especially with regards to zoning of key political offices.

The source added that Bello who was literarily on his knee, talked about the future of the party and how the world will perceive it as a party without discipline, stressing that he told the Representatives at the meeting that it would be unfair for party directives to be disregarded during his tenure as the chairman of the party.

He said:  “Mohammed told us that as the Acting National Chairman, it is his duty to ensure that the decision of the party is carried out and obeyed by all.”

The Acting National Chairman was also said to have told them that as members, they were guided by the party’s constitution, adding that as a party, it may not hesitate to go back to its constitution when the need arises.

The source noted: “the Acting National Chairman told the members that the party will not allow the Speaker to come from the Northwest zone as the Vice President, Namadi Sambo is from the same zone,” adding that if that happened, it would amount to inconsistency on the part of PDP where party rules and decisions cannot be enforced.

Vanguard gathered that at the end of the exercise by the Acting National Chairman, members who responded were said to have told him and other NWC members that zoning died with the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as the presidential candidate of the PDP at the January 15, 2011 presidential convention of the party.

A member from Kaduna State was quoted to have said: “We are all loyal members of the party, but with what happened during the presidential primaries where the constitution of the party, which was very clear on zoning was abandoned, it is our view that zoning in PDP is dead.”

Some of the Reps agreed with the position of the party and canvassed that sanction be applied on those who are presently working against the party, but majority kicked against the zoning position of the PDP.

One of them suggested, “the party should not be seen to be weak. The party should summon Hon. Aminu Tambuwaal and other arrow heads to a disciplinary committee for planning to go against the decision of the party.”

Accepting decision

Some were said to have told Bello that the move by the party to force them in accepting the decision of the party was rather late against the backdrop that most members have made their minds on who to vote for as Speaker and Deputy Speaker on June 6  when the National Assembly will be inaugurated formally.

It was also gathered that moves by the Acting Chairman to make the Representatives come to a common ground on the voting pattern failed.

The next place left for the party to push its case is the Retreat for the President, Vice President, all elected members of the National Assembly slated for Friday and Saturday.

The meeting was attended by the Chief Whip, Emeka Ihedioha who is being pencilled down for the position of Deputy Speaker and  Aminu Tambuwaal, Mulikat Akande and Muriana Ajibola, among others.