By Dirisu Yakubu

The quest by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to regain power at the centre in the 2019 general elections depends on the outcome of its December 9 elective convention. This much has been stated by party leaders, governors and major stakeholders across the country in the past couple of months.

PDP Chairman Sen. Ahmed Makarfi

Following the sad turn of events for the party in 2015 and the July 12, 2017 Supreme Court ruling which put to an end the leadership tussle that almost brought the party to its knees, the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) in a bid to avoid repeat of the factors that led to its defeat, resolved to walk on fresh grounds and vowed to entrench internal democracy, going forward.

Consequently, the non-elective convention ratified the zoning arrangement reached at the Port Harcourt convention which zoned the Presidency to the North and the Chairmanship to the South.

However, NCC Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi had in the last couple of months insisted that should stakeholders in any of the two zones come together to present a common candidate to run for any of the positions aforementioned, the caretaker committee would look into it as the constitution of the party allows room for consensus arrangement.

Against this backdrop, aspirants from both the South South and South West have all thrown their hats in the ring to contest the national chairmanship position while aspirants of North West and North East extractions are also being linked with the Presidency.

In the past one week however, indications emerged that that the leadership of the party had indeed micro zoned some offices to some States of the federation. For instance, our correspondent gathered that the party has picked Katsina State to produce the National Secretary of the Party just as the National Publicity Secretary was micro zoned to Kogi State.

This development according to analysts, may trigger another round of crisis if not properly handled, before the convention. Earlier in the week, immediate past Chairman of Olomaboro Local Government of Kogi State, Farouk Adejo vowed to resist any attempt to scheme him out of the race for the publicity secretary position of the party.

Adejor who was fielding questions from journalists shortly after obtaining his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, said his State of Kogi has been tipped to produce the party’s image maker, wondering why an aspirant from another State would declare interest in the same office.

Although, the ex-Council boss didn’t mention any name, it was clear he referred to Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, the former Minister of National Planning from Kwara State who in October, declared his intention to run for the same office.

Perhaps, the biggest pointer to an impending implosion in the party yet owing to controversy trailing the micro zoning arrangement was the admission by Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, a National Secretary aspirant of the party, that moves were afoot to make some offices the exclusive preserves of Some States.

Addressing journalists shortly after returning his nomination forms on Thursday, Mustapha expressed shock at what he termed the double standards of the Makarfi-led Committee in its stand on micro zoning. Mustapha, an indigene of Kaduna State was reacting to news making the round that neighboring Katsina State has been anointed to produce the national secretary. Interestingly, Senator Umar Ibrahim Tsauri from Katsina State, had a day earlier, picked his nomination form to vie for the same office.

Insisting he won’t allow individual or group to stampede him out of the race, Mustapha questioned the wisdom in throwing the national chairmanship position open while simultaneously micro zoning others.

His words: “We have heard that there is no micro zoning. The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of our party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi has repeatedly told Nigerians that there was no micro zoning.

“Unfortunately, we are now hearing that the micro zoning is only for the position of the national chairman and that other positions can be micro zoned. So, we don’t get it; we don’t understand. If one position is not allowed to be micro zoned, why should you then micro zoned others which are even less in terms of protocols than the national chairman?” he asked.

Asked on the way out of the quagmire, Mustapha who was Head of   Service, Kaduna State for 16 years, called on the leadership of the party to be fair to all by doing what is right in the interest of the party and democracy.

He said: “Our appeal is for our most respected members of the caretaker committee to have a rethink. We have no doubt that the committee is composed of highly credible individuals, well tested Nigerians. They should do what is right and avoid another confusion in the party.

“In the North West where I come from, I don’t subscribe to any form of micro zoning.   I want all contestants to be allowed to test their popularity. That is democracy and anything short of that, I can say we will be circumventing what is right and proper.”

A member of the party who spoke to this medium anonymously advised the Makarfi-led committee to throw open all elective offices to aspirants in line with the recommendation of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu Committee, noting that bowing to pressure from “some powerful forces” would be tantamount to shifting the goalpost in the middle of the game.

“This is one issue I pray we should be able to handle maturely before the convention. It is either we micro zone or we don’t. I want to believe no agreement has been reached concerning some States being asked to give the party persons to occupy certain offices. We must not bow to pressure no matter what,” he said.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the decision to accommodate aspirants from other zones other than the South West may not be unconnected with the rumoured ambition of Senator Makarfi for the Presidency in 2019.

With three governors bent on having their candidate crowned chairman of the party in December, hitherto agreements are giving way to accommodate new possibilities.

Makarfi has neither remotely mentioned his ambition to fly the Presidential flag of the party nor has he denied nursing a quest. But how the party handles its decision to democratize the race to one office while micro zoning others would play a paramount role in the epoch-making   convention now only a handful of weeks away.