By Henry Umoru, Abuja
AHEAD of the NationalConvention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, former President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT and leaders of the Party in the South West will engage in a marathon meeting today as part of moves to address the problems confronting the zone.

Also as part of moves to moderate the contest for the slot of National Secretary of the Party which has been zoned to the South-West, it was gathered yesterday that the zonal caucus of the party has concluded arrangements to hold a crucial meeting in Ogun State today specifically to discuss which states in the zone to occupy the position.

The leaders of the party, as part of the agenda for the meeting, will discuss how to effectively reposition the PDP in the South-West, especially from the backdrop of the defeat it suffered during the last governorship election where the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN swept the states that were hitherto controlled by the PDP.

Today’s zonal PDP meeting scheduled to hold at Park Centre Ibara, Ogun state would be attended by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, all past governors of PDP in South-West, current and past ministers as well as 10 representatives from each of the six south-west states.

The meeting is said to be a follow up to the last meeting during which leaders of PDP in the south-west reviewed the report on reconciliation by a Committee headed by Dr. Olusegun Agagu which they had set up to among others, re-position the PDP in the south-west for the purpose of regaining the state in the next general elections.

Each of the states had earlier been mandated to look into the suggestions made in the Report by the Agagu’s Committee and also expected to brief the meeting on how far it had gone in setting the tone for reconciliation of PDP members in the state and the revival of party at large.

It was also gathered that the race is for the position is thicker in Oyo and Osun States, just as some stakeholders of PDP had hinted that Oyo state may be pushing for Oyo following its inability to produce the Speaker, House of Representatives.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is making case for Oyo State to get the position, having earlier fought for the state to take the Speakership position, while committing the national leadership of PDP to adopt Oyo state as a good option for the post, but there is a stiff opposition from Osun State with the Presentation of a very strong and experienced person in the person of Chief Ebenezer Babatope from the state.

The huge number of contestants for the National Secretariat of PDP has been the reason the PDP zonal leaders resolved to zone it to a state in order to streamline the contest and hence ensure that the best candidate is selected for the post.

Party elders in the south-west are of the view that the PDP National Secretary should go to Oyo because it has a minister of state in the federal cabinet, just as same applies to Osun state that has the Minister of State, Defence.

Ogun state is said to have two ministerial slots in the present cabinet, the only state to be so favoured among the south-west states, including being privileged to have the BoT chairman.

While Ondo and Osun states are said to have held strong offices in the National Secretariat of the PDP being the current holders of National Legal Adviser and Deputy National Chairman of PDP respectively, Oyo state was generally considered as the best option to produce the Secretary ship of PDP being the state with the largest number of PDP members in the south-west.