President Umaru Yar’Adua has held a private meeting with state chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to one of the chairmen of the party that attended the meeting with the President, “issues affecting the party was discussed as well as the forth coming national convention of the party.”
THISDAY gathered that the meting with the President also discussed issues affecting the parties in the states and some of the issues slated for amendment in the forth coming national convention.
It was further gathered that some of the party leaders expressed views on the way the affairs of the party was run.
After the meeting with the President, the party chairmen in the states had another round of meeting with the National Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, at the National Secretariat of the party on Sunday.
THISDAY further gathered that it was as a result of both meetings that the planned national convention of the party earlier planned for March 28 and 29 was shifted to a day yet to be decided in April.
Also, as a fall out of the meeting, the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting expected to have taken place today was shifted to the first week of April. No reason was given for the changes, but it was gathered that information was scanty on some of the issues slated for the national convention, especially the amendment of the party's constitution.
When contacted the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prof. Ahmed Alkali, confirmed that the said meeting held.
He said that the meeting was for the purposes of strategy in the party and to ensure that everybody is carried along in the planning of the national convention.
“ The meeting you mentioned is for the stakeholders of the party and you know that in the planning of national conventioon, there is the need for everybody to be carried along.”