2019: PDP offers position of Speaker of House of Reps to South West

The Peoples Democratic Party has decided to surrender the position of Speaker of House of Representatives to the region if it wins the 2019 presidential election, THE PUNCH  reports.

The party, which is wooing the region which produced the incumbent Vice President Yomi Osinbajo for their votes in coming elections,  had earlier ceded the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the same region.

According to the newspaper, these are part of a political strategy being planned by the party to enable voters from the region to vote for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Mr Peter Obi.

Osinbajo is  running with President Muhammadu Buhari on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, hails from Ogun State, in South-West.

The report showed that the leadership of the PDP and Atiku had disclosed this at their meeting in Dubai, where the presidential candidate is currently holidaying.

Authoritative sources close to the party and its presidential candidate, told our correspondent on condition of anonymity in Abuja on Tuesday, that the party had mapped out strategies that would enable it to beat the ruling APC in the zone in 2019.

The newspaper quoted a source, who was privy to the arrangement,  as saying,  “You know that the South-West has the Vice-President in the person of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo now. But apart from that position and some ministers, nothing tangible has come to the region in term of infrastructure.

“The position of Vice-President is almost ceremonial. The South-West will get the position of the SGF as announced by Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

“But apart from this, the zone will also get the position of the Speaker of House of Representatives. We know that we will make it in the zone. This is because all the states in the country have suffered from the present Federal Government. “

Our correspondent was unable to reach the  PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, for confirmation of the newspaer’s report before press time.