With barely a few days to the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Port Harcourt, there appears to be more cracks in the party as governors elected on its platform have vowed to stop the ambition of an ally of former president Goodluck Jonathan according to reports.
We learnt that Jonathan’s political godson, Mr George Turnah is vying for the position of PDP national vice chairman, South-South at the forthcoming convention.
It would be recalled that under the Jonathan presidency, Turnah wielded influence across the Niger Delta and the presidential villa as special assistant on youth matters to two former managing directors of the Niger-Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) and is allegedly being fronted by the former president for the position.
But a source in the South South alleged that the governors are angry that Turnah was planning to run for the position when the zone had already settled for Prince Uche Seconds as the party’s deputy national chairman.
Recall that the zoning formula in the party left Secondus who was early tipped for the national chairmanship position out.
”If we are fighting impunity in this party, someone like Turnah should take the back seat and learn. He is too young to be made vice chairman of our zone. In his thirties, how does he manage governors and leaders of the party?
”Apart from that, once Secondus becomes deputy, someone from Bayelsa cannot be vice chairman again because both Rivers and Bayelsa belong to one block. This time around, the vice chairmanship position will go to the Akwa-Ibom /Cross River axis.
”The last time, it was in the Edo Delta zone and that was why after Steve Oru was made minister, Cairo Ojuigboh took over. We cannot afford this because it will make the party look too juveline.
”We have told the former president to advise the boy to withdraw from the race because it is a tall order for him and besides, we are conscious of how people will view our party”, the source said.
We learnt that Turnah was in Abuja at the instance of the former president to visit party leaders and intimate them of his ambition where he reportedly met with former Information minister and Second Republic senator, Chief Edwin Clark at his Asokoro residence on yesterday.
