The BoT has also advised that the contentious amendment of the party’s constitution be suspended.
With this development, the party’s organ says Sheriff, who is expected to be the sole candidate at this weekend’s National Convention in Port Harcourt, will quit the position in 2018 at its mid-term convention, while the position will shift to the South.
At the 55th meeting of the BoT in Abuja today, its Secretary and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Ojo Madueke announced that the Board also advised the National Executive Committee (NEC) that amendment of the party’s constitution be suspended.
But contrary to views by the Concerned PDP Stakeholders, calling for the postponement of the national convention, the Secretary said the BoT kicked against it.
“We have decided to support that convention should hold as scheduled on May 21”, he stated.
Earlier, Sheriff announced that a decision had already been taken at a meeting with the 12 PDP governors to review the just-concluded congresses in states where there were problems.
According to him, all parties equally agreed that the Presidency would remain in the North and decided to take a resolution at the convention to that effect.
Sheriff set the tone for the compromise when he apologised to members for his lateness and equally apologised to Prof. Jerry Gana over a statement issued by his media adviser, Inuwa Bwala.
On the issue of the constitution amendment which had generated ill feelings between the Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC) and the BoT, the party chairman said that he had met with the PDP governors and it had been resolved that the matter of the constitution amendment be suspended for more consultations.
He said: “As a result of dissatisfaction with last Congress, meetings have been called to resolve issues. The Governors met with Gana and invited me. As a result of the meeting, it was agreed that we step down the issue of the constitution amendment.
“Agreement has also been reached on states where congresses had become contentious. We have not even received the report from the committees that conducted the congresses. So it was agreed that those congresses that had problems should be reviewed; a committee will be set up to review and correct what went wrong”.
He said that it was very important to have one united family before the Convention.
On the matter of the zoning of the Presidency, Sheriff declared that it has also been agreed upon that a resolution would be taken at the Convention that the Presidency will go to the North.
He explained that he played no role in the drafting of the contentious amendments proposed to the party’s constitution.
”I was not a party chairman when the constitution committee was set up, I was not the chairman at that time. So, I have nothing to do with it. But I will take all the responsibility to have it resolved”, he said.
