Ex-PDP ministers to meet today in Abuja

The ministers are members of the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It was gathered that the major agenda of the meeting is to deliberate on the future of the party with the 2019 presidential election in view.

"Ex-PDP ministers from 1999 to 2015 are to meet in Abuja on Monday to chart a way forward for the party. The tendency for the forum to deliberate on the 2019 elections and the possibility of working out mechanism towards filling or supporting a candidate for the forthcoming presidential election is there," one of the ex-ministers told Punch.

"Prof. Jerry Gana and other senior high ranking ex-ministers are expected at the meeting."

It was reported that the forum would also search - among them or beyond - for suitable and acceptable presidential candidate ahead of 2019 polls.

At the meeting, the former ministers would also consider the option of shopping for another political party if the ongoing legal leadership battle does not favour them.

The majority of the forum members are allegedly behind the Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP national caretaker committee.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), based on the Court of Appeal judgment, had declared Ali Modu Sheriff the authentic national chairman of the party.

Some loyalists of Makarfi have since registered another political party, Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance, hoping to migrate there if the Supreme Court judgment upholds the Appeal court's decision.

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Some of the ex-ministers are said to be in support of the new party as a fallback option.

A former minister said, "We won’t put all our eggs in one basket as we did in Ondo State during the last governorship election.

"We are waiting for the Supreme Court to pronounce its judgement then Nigerians will know what we are up to."

He added some disgruntled members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are also part of the new part.