By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- CRISIS rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has deepened as the national caucus meeting ended in deadlock over the choice of a chairman for the party from the north east.

The National caucus meeting which started yesterday, Monday at 8pm and ended in the early hours of this morning became inconclusive, just as the meeting has continued today, with a shift of the meeting of Board of Trustees, BoT which was fixed for 10am this morning will now hold around 2am and there after, the National Executive Committee, NEC meeting which would hold at past three.

At the Caucus meeting, the governors and other members were to screen the aspirants and conclude the assignment, but could not end it hence, the shift to today for continuation and final conclusion.

The National Caucus has however expanded the list of party leaders from the Northeast for the party’s plumb jobs former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and former Adamawa State gubernatorial candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Mohammed Wakil have all joined the race.

Before now, the PDP Governors have agreed that each state of the North East should forward a name each, but with the latest development, some states now have two aspirants.

Vanguard gathered that the North East before now presented six names and they include former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Engr. Abba Gana from Borno; Ambassador Wilberforce Juta from Adamawa State; National Vice Chairman, North East, Senator Girgiri Lawal from Yobe State; former Chief of Staff to ex- governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, Shehu Gabam and Senator Saidu Kumo from Gombe State.

Modu Sheriff was said to have been pushing Abba Gana as the candidate from Borno State, only for him to make a u- turn to present himself for screening before the National caucus, just as Ribadu has joined the list from Adamawa state the stakeholders from the state had already endorsed Juta

It was also gathered that the National caucus has asked both Ribadu and Sheriff to come and explain to the caucus how they can better the lot of the party.

Briefing Journalists this morning at the Ondo State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said: “basically the two governors of the Northeast, what they have done, they brought five people for consideration: Amb. Wilberforce Juta, Sen. Kumo, Sen. Girgiri, Shehu Gabam.

“We looked at the list and decided to enlarge the list. So, we’ve invited someother leaders from that Zone. We called four other people to come, we were able to get two of them, who are coming in any moment from now.

“One is Hon. Muhammed Wakil, the other is Senator and former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, the two others we are yet to get in touch with are Nuhu Ribadu and one other person. We want to at the end of today look at the list and the Causus will decide whom to present to the Board of Trustees tomorrow morning and at the end of the day the national committee will have approved/elect to be the substantive chairman in place of our chairman that resigned.

“We are calling them to come and explain to us why they want to be chairman and what the party will gain from them being chairman of the party.

It would also be recalled that prior to the 2012 National Convention, the position of national chairmanship position of the PDP was zoned to the North-east and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur from Adamawa State was elected, he later resigned and Adamu Muazu from Bauchi later replaced him, but later resigned after the party lost the 2015 Presidential election, and his deputy, Prince Uche Secondus has been running the affairs of the party in acting capacity.

An Abuja High Court on December 16, ruled in favor of Gulak, mandating Secondus to vacate the seat within 14 days and allow a member of the party from the zone to emerge the national chairman.

There was confusion on Wednesday last week at the National Secretariat of PDP as the former Political Adviser to past President Goodkuck Jonathan, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak stormed the secretariat with his supporters, made himself the National Chairman of the party.

Gulak, who arrived the national headquarters of PDP at 1:42pm in company of other aides of former president Jonathan went straight to the third floor of the building, asked that the office of the National Chairman be opened for him, but it was not and he immediately moved to the National Working Committee, NWC Conference hall to address Journalists, using the chair of the National Chairman.

Addressing Journalists, Gulak who noted that a High Court has thrown out an application by the PDP and the acting national chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, which sought to stop a previous ruling demanding that Secondus should vacate office within 14 days, just as he said that there would be a change to the proposed date of the national convention which was proposed for March this year by the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC) against the backdrop that the NWC ought to have first tabled the matter before the National Executive Committee, NEC before announcing it.

But in a swift reaction, the PDP NWC while describing the action as shocking, a taboo, unacceptable, describing him as a fifth columnist working for the All Progressives Congress, APC to cause confusion in the party, stressing that Gulak cannot come through the backdrop to become the National Chairman of the party, asking him to go to his zone, consult, lobby for his name to be submitted from the North East Zone.

Addressing Journalists, PDP National Legal Adviser, Barrister Victor Kwon, who dismissed claims by Gulak, however urged him to go and lobby if he wants to be chairman, saying, “he cannot proclaim himself national chairman and court did not tell the party to name him national chairman.”

Soon after the development, Governors elected under the PDP subsequently advised Secondus to step aside while the National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, was asked to take over.

But the NWC of the party kicked against the order, insisting that Secondus remains the acting National Chair