N’West, S’East may lose speaker, deputy speaker slots

The Peoples Democratic Party may have finally decided to address the alleged marginalisation of some zones, particularly the South-West, in its power sharing formula.
Our correspondents learnt that the party has begun moves to alter its power-sharing formula, based on indications that President Goodluck Jonathan will seek a second term in 2015.
The party’s attempt to re-assert itself by altering the arrangement soon after the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan failed as members of the House of Representatives voted Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal from Sokoto State and Emeka Ihedioha from Imo State as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.
This was against expectations that the post of speaker would go to the South-West. This has led to cries of marginalisation by PDP members in the South-West.
It was learnt that a major source of concern to party leaders is the fact that the North-West currently occupies the positions of vice-president and speaker. While the vice-president is the number two man in the country, the speaker occupies the fourth position in the hierarchy o power, thus making the North-West the most powerful in the country.
The South-East may lose the position of deputy speaker as it also occupies the slot for Deputy Senate President.
Complaints about the marginalisation of the South-West in spite of its overwhelming support for Jonathan during the 2011 elections have become a rallying point for those plotting to oust the PDP come 2015.
It was further gathered that the PDP leadership had become deeply worried about the growing complaints of marginalisation of the South-West by the Jonathan administration and its implications for the party’s 2015 aspirations.
The appointment of Mulikat Akande-Adeola as Majority Leader has not doused the cries of marginalisation by South-West leaders.
A number of them have expressed dismay over the failure of the President to appoint people from the zone into key political offices.
Details of the shape of the new power-sharing formula are still shrouded in secrecy. It was, however, learnt that the zonal consultative/reconciliation meetings currently being embarked upon by leaders of the party were part of efforts to hear from members on the issue.
Attempts to get an official reaction of the party were unsuccessful as the telephone number of the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh was unreachable.
A party official at the national secretariat in Abuja said Metuh was on his way to Ibadan for a PDP zonal meeting.
However, the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, told one of our correspondents that the President had not declared his intention to run in 2015.
He said the President was rather concentrating on his current mandate of delivering of the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
Okupe said, “The President has not declared his intention to run. He directed all members of his party and those in government not to campaign for him or anyone. So, let us leave it like that.”
He also assured the South-West that Jonathan would soon address their concerns about marginalisation at the right time.
The presidential aide explained that the President was “already doing something about it,” adding that very soon, the details would be made public.
He said, “I told you this thing about a month ago. Government is already doing something about it and I can assure you that very soon, that would be made public.”