The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is holding state congresses today, ahead of the party’s much-anticipated national convention.
The congresses will be held in Lagos, Oyo, Adamawa, Kebbi, Borno, Kogi, Osun, Kwara, and Ebonyi states, according to reports.
Remember that in July, the National Working Committee (NWC) approved the timetable and schedule of activities for the nine state party congresses in 2021.
Ward Congresses to elect Ward Excos and three ad-hoc delegates have been scheduled for Saturday, September 25 according to the timetable. State congresses have been set for Saturday, October 16, 2021, while local government congresses to elect local government excos and national delegates have been set for Tuesday, October 5, 2021.
Section 47(1) of the PDP Constitution (as amended) will expire the Excos’ tenure in Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Adamawa, Kebbi, Borno, and Kogi States, having been elected in 2017.
However, in Kogi State, congresses will only take place in wards and local governments, whereas in Osun, congresses will only take place in specific wards.
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Following the dissolution of the state structure following the defection of the state governor, David Umahi, and his loyalists from the PDP, a congress will be held in Ebonyi State to elect a new party executive.
Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP’s national publicity secretary, told LEADERSHIP that the party is prepared for the exercise.
“Party electoral officials have gathered documents and dispatched them to their respective states,” he explained.
In Kwara, it was learned that the party’s stakeholders in the state had met to discuss how to ensure a smooth election process that would return the party to winning ways.
Before losing to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections, the PDP had ruled Kwara for nearly 16 years.
The party’s leadership formed a reconciliation committee, chaired by Alh Abubakar Kawu Baraje, a former Acting National Chairman of the party, to ensure unity and cohesion among various interest groups within the party.
Speaking about the ward congress preparations, Alh Olanrewaju Okanlawon, a PDP state chairmanship aspirant, urged party members to avoid any divisive tendencies that could jeopardize the party’s chances of winning the 2023 elections.
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Okanlawon, who noted that the PDP is led by Dr Bukola Saraki, a responsible and highly influential former Senate President, advised party members against jeopardizing the party’s chances because of the race for party offices and positions.
The chairmanship candidate urged party members and elders to maintain faith in the party’s leadership structure and guard against opposition infiltration.
He applauded the party’s national and state leadership for continuing to use electronic membership registration.
