PPA Plans Special National convention

The Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) will hold a Special National convention Saturday (October 3) at the PPA Towers national secretariat of the party in Utako District of Abuja.

Chairman of the convention, Comrade Chris Akomas, told newsmen in Umuahia recently that the main objectives of the convention include reviewing and amending the party’s constitution where necessary and electing officers into vacant positions in the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party. 

Akomas said the election would be based on the party’s existing zoning arrangement as established in Owerri, Imo State during the PPA maiden national convention in 2007, stressing that the new national chairman would still emerge from the South South Zone which produced Chief Clement Ebri as the first national chairman of PPA. 

“The National Executive Council of PPA met on September 22, 2009 and resolved that a specialNational convention be held on October 3, 2009, to review issues that border on the constitution and amend where appropriate and fill vacant positions that exist National Working committee (NWC) and National Executive Council (NEC) of the party following the resignation of the national chairman (Ebri), the Deputy Chairman, South and the National Treasurer, in addition to those very vacant positions (five of them) which will also be filled as the deputies or those acting in those positions need to go through the convention,” Akomas explained.

Akomas who is the deputy governor of Abia State while assuring that PPA would retain its existing zoning formula said: “Of course, the party will follow the existing zoning arrangement because I told you that this is a party that believes in internal democratic system and it has been there. The former national chairman (Ebri) is from the South-South. So the South-South will still produce the next chairman for now. The West will produce the person who will be the Deputy Chairman, South.  Until the zoning system is changed, that stands. PPA, can not, and we do not engage in shifting the post mid-way. The previous zoning system stands.”

It would be recalled that Ebri’s resignation a couple of months ago, triggered off a spate of resignations in PPA as the Deputy National Chairman (South), Olu Akerele, and the National Treasurer equally resigned.

Akomas said the convention would prove to cynics that PPA respects its constitution, believes strongly and practices the rule of law and follows due process.

He denied that there existed factions in the party, saying that those holding such views were “mischievous.”

Delegates to the convention include party chairmen from the 774 local governments areas of the country, those elected into various position in different states of the country as well as ministers, commissioners and special advisers who belong to the party, among others.