Okowa Heads 262-member PDP Convention Committee…

Ikimi leads disciplinary committee

Ahead of its national convention scheduled for August 12, Peoples Democratic Party yesterday announced the appointment of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as chairman of the convention planning committee. In a release signed by the secretary of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ben Obi, the party also pronounced former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State as deputy chairman of the committee, which consists of 262 members.

Similarly, PDP set up two standing committees: a disciplinary committee headed by former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi, and a reconciliation committee co-chaired by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State.

The release listed members of the convention planning committee to include all serving PDP governors, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekwerenmadu, Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio, former PDP governors, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, all PDP senators, former ministers, who are members of PDP, and other key leaders of the opposition party.

Four sub-committees on welfare/entertainment, publicity, security/protocol, and accreditation/contact and mobilisation were equally established. Former PDP women leader, Iyom Josephine Anenih, was made chairman of welfare/ entertainment committee, Chief Raymond Dokpesi was appointed head of the publicity sub-committee, Col. Tunde Akogun (rtd) was named leader of the security/protocol committee, and Celestine Omehie was appointed head of the accreditation/contact and mobilisation sub-committee, with Muktar Shagari as the deputy.

The disciplinary committee has seven members, according to the statement. They are the chairman and the following: former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; Mr. Victor Kwom; Hajia Inna Ciroma; Col. Bala Mande; and Eyitayo Jegede.

The reconciliation committee was sub-divided into six committees representing the six geographical zones. Members of the reconciliation committee for South-east were named as former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, Peter Obi, and Sam Egwu, and for the Southwest, Senator Seye Ogunleye and former Governor Gbenga Daniel were appointed. Northwest members of the reconciliation committee included Bello Gwarzo and Senator Usman Abdulazeez. For the South-south, Senators Ben Murray Bruce, Stella Omu, and Liyel Imoke were named reconciliation committee members. Members of the reconciliation committee for the North-central included Senator Solomon Ewuga and former Kogi State Governor Idris Wada, while for the North-east the members included Alhaji Shehu Garban and Alhaji Mohammed Imam.

The Supreme Court had on July 12 pronounced Ahmed Makarfi, who heads PDP’s national caretaker committee, as the party’s authentic leader, ending its more than one year old leadership tussle. The wrangle followed the May 21 botched national convention of the party in Port Harcourt, where Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was removed as PDP national chairman after the dissolution of his executive committee and its replacement with the Mafarki committee. The Supreme Court overruled the verdict of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, which had on February 17 confirmed Sheriff, a former Governor of Borno State, as the bona fide chairman of PDP after setting aside the ruling of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.