North-East PDP Endorses Babayo for National Chairmanship
A shocking Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) North-East congress in Bauchi on Wednesday produced Dr. Musa Babayo, Acting National Secretary of the party, as the favoured candidate for the coveted office of national chairman at the expense of Aljahi Bamanga Tukur, the rumoured candidate of President Goodluck Jonathan, and four others.
The endorsement of Babayo came after he polled 14 votes to beat Bamanga Tukur (2 votes), Adamu Mua’zu (1 vote), Professor Rufai Alkali (1 vote), Bunu Ibrahim Sheriff (2 votes) and Dr. Shetima Mustapha (2 votes).
Senator Girgir Lawan from Borno State also emerged the new National Vice Chairman at the congress, attended by the PDP governors of Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa and Gombe States.
Lawan, who takes over from Senator Paul Wampana (Adamawa State), served two tenures of six years as National Vice Chairman (North-East). He was sworn-in alongside 15 other national officers from the zone, by Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun, who was assisted by Godwin Bozimo. Oyedokun reminded the congress of the section of the party’s condition that justifies consensus as an acceptable part of the democratic process.
Speaking on the choice of Babayo, immediate past National Vice Chairman of the Party (North-East), Paul Wampana, explained his adoption by the party in the zone did not prevent the defeated aspirants from contesting at Saturday’s national congress.
Wampana disclosed that Babayo’s endorsement was decided at the party’s caucus meeting Tuesday night in Bauchi considering that the office of the national chairman had been zoned to the region. “Party stakeholders decided to endorse him as someone who is versatile with party affairs, having being an insider for long,” he added.
The zonal congress held at the Multipurpose Indoors Hall in Bauchi amidst tight security. Losing aspirants, such as Adamu Muazu, declined to speak to journalists, as virtually all the bigwigs of the party left immediately the endorsement was decided.