Nigeria Content Online

Some leaders of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by its acting national chairman,
Bello Mohammed met with President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in Obudu
Ranch, where the president is currently on retreat, with heads of some
government agencies.

The meeting, a PDP
source revealed yesterday, was in connection with the zoning of
principal positions in the National Assembly and the nature and
character of the president’s next cabinet.

The national
secretary of the PDP, Kawu Baraje, who is currently outside the
country, is expected to join the party’s team today.

“Apart from the
composition of the new federal cabinet, the issue of the zoning of the
principal positions in the Senate and House of Representatives is also
expected to feature in the talks between the president and PDP
leaders,” the source said.

Intensive lobbying
has already commenced for the principal positions in both chambers of
the federal legislature even though the party has not decided on the
zoning formula. It was also learnt that the PDP leaders will discuss
the composition of the national executive committee of the ruling party
following Mr Jonathan’s victory.

It is the tradition
of the party to overhaul the National Executive Committee (NEC) and
National Working Committee in line with new zoning arrangement after
every major election. The NEC was last reshuffled in 2008 after the
election of late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

The national chairmanship of the PDP is expected to return to the
North in the new arrangement while the position of the National
Secretary will revert to the South.