Abuja- The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may accede to the demand of the people of Taraba to zone its governorship seat to the Southern Senatorial District of the state.
The PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, gave this indication, when he received a delegation of the PDP stakeholders in Taraba at the party`s National Secretariat on Monday in Abuja.
The stakeholders were led on the visit by the state Acting Governor, Alhaji Sani Abubakar, and the state PDP Chairman, Mr Victor Bala.
The Acting Governor told Muazu that in 2011, critical stakeholders in the state chapter of PDP had a meeting where it was agreed that the southern zone should have the governorship in 2015.
According to him, the northern zone had held power for 10 years, while the central zone where the incumbent governor hails from, would complete eight years in power in 2015.
He said the people of the state were desirous that the 2011 agreement on zoning be implemented by the PDP national leadership.
“The northern zone has held office for 10 years and it is unfair for anyone from the zone to aspire for the governorship in 2015.
“Taraba stakeholders took a decision to zone the governorship to the south and I will be presenting the resolution to you,’’ he said.
The acting governor added that the resolution was signed by National Assembly members, local government chairmen and the party chairmen.
He, however, pledged his loyalty and that of the people of the state to the PDP leadership, adding that they were all committed to ensuring its victory in the state in the 2015 general elections.
In his response, Muazu demanded that a copy of the minutes of the meeting where the decision was taken be forwarded to him.
This, he said, was to enable members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to take definite decision on their demand for the zoning of the governorship.
He said the PDP national leadership believed that zoning should be a local arrangement, adding that “if your people in Taraba want zoning, so be it”.
He also urged the acting governor to treat the demand for the minutes of the meeting as a matter of urgency, to enable the state conclude its primaries before the Dec. 10 National Convention.
If the demand for the zoning scales through, the immediate past acting governor of Taraba, Garba Umar, who is from Taraba North, will be automatically knocked out of the race for PDP governorship ticket. (NAN)
