PDP moves to curb powers of governors

February 20, 2012 by Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has concluded plans to curb the powers of governors elected under the umbrella of the party by limiting their influence.

Already, the Constitution Review Committee of the party led by the PDP’s National Legal Adviser, Chief Olusola Oke, has recommended that membership of its National Executive Committee should be increased.

The proposed amendment will top the agenda of today’s National Executive Committee meeting. The 36 governors constitute the majority of the 84-member NEC, which, among other functions, makes electoral regulations to conduct the party’s election at every level and regulates procedure for selecting candidates for elective offices.

But the party has also refused to include its governors as members of the National Caucus as demanded by them.

If proposed amendment scales through at the meeting, the party will then have a Senator each from each state and Abuja as members of NEC.

Article 12.67 of the party’s constitution stipulates those expected to attend the National Caucus of the party, without including the governors.

However, during the lobby for the amendment to the constitution, the governors tried in vain to be made members of the National Caucus.

A member of the constitution review committee, said the party felt there was no need for the governors to be made members of the caucus to allow them pay attention to their states.

The source said, “We took cognisance that they are the political leaders of their respective states and therefore there is the need for them to stay in their states and concentrate on governance.”

According to him, in states where there are no PDP senators a prominent member of the party will be selected as a NEC member.

The source added that the need for a Senator from each state and Abuja to be made members of NEC was to democratise the group.

He added that the governors were fighting to make sure that at least, one of them from each zone, was made a member of caucus.

The source said, “In the past, the decision of NEC is left in the hands of 84 members, because members of BoT are not voting members of NEC.”

Our correspondent learnt that the decision to include the Senators in NEC was to cut the powers of the governors, who are also voting members of the body.

In the past, the governors had shown that they were a force to be reckoned with by either insisting on who to be elected as party chairman and who should not.

-Punchwp_posts