The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday fixed its national convention for October to elect new members of its National Working Committee (NWC).
This development followed the crisis of leadership which threatened the main opposition party with agrieved members calling for the immidiate resignation of its National Chairman, Mr Uche Secondus.
The new convention date is a win-win for all the parties as it retains the chairman on his seat but shortens his tenure by two months.
The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, diclosed this to journalists after a meeting of the leaders of the party in Abuja.
The meeting, which lasted for several hours at the national secretariat of the party, was attended by PDP governors, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and members of the National Assembly.
Some former governors, former ministers and other senior members of the party were also in attendance.
The Secondus-led NWC members were elected in December 2017 for a four-year term.
The embattled national chairman vowed on Monday not to resign but to serve out his term.
The BoT and PDP Governors Forum had previously met separately to intervene in the crisis, especially after the resignation of seven members of the NWC last Thursday.
Although the national convention ought to have been held in December, the crisis forced the party to settle for early convention in October.
Mr Tambuwal said the National Executive Committee (NEC) was also mandated to meet at a date yet to be scheduled to constitute a committee to zone national elective and party positions.
In a communique issued after the meeting, the leaders asked all the parties to the crisis to sheathe their sword in the interest of the party.
The communique said that there were extensive consultations with major stakeholders in the party including the governors, members of the board of trustees, former presiding officers and current principal officers and leaders from the National Assembly, former governors, former ministers, and indeed other leaders of the party.
It said the consultation was to bring all tendencies within the party together in view of the urgent task facing it as the only viable vehicle to checkmate the “abysmally poor governance of the APC led federal government”.
It said that the constitution, traditions and practices of the party were strictly adhered to in finding solutions to the problems.
The communique also called on all the parties to the dispute to sheath their sword in the greater interest of the PDP and the need to rescue Nigeria from the avoidable national malaise and drift occasioned by the APC administration.
It called on party organs, especially the national executive committee, to activate all processes leading to an early national convention in October.
It said the party resolved to redouble efforts to provide a credible alternative leadership for Nigeria as it remained the only hope for the Nigerian people for good governance. ##
