•Anenih,
Ali, others face election tonight
The
PDP’s Bot election which will hold tonight at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, is
expected to be a stormy session, as President Jonathan and Chief Obasanjo are
expected to engage in a political duel to install a candidate to administer one
of the sensitive organs of the party.
Former
President Obasanjo had resigned his appointment as the BoT chairman, thus
creating the vacuum that party leaders are expected to fill tonight. Whoever
emerges, according to the party constitution, will serve a single term of five
years.
Main contenders for the office are former national chairman of the
party, Dr Ahmadu Ali; former Works Minister, Chief Tony Anenih; former Senate
President, Dr. Ken Nnamani and Chairman, Champion Newspapers, Chief Emmanuel
Iwuanyanwu. Findings revealed that the Anenih’s candidature enjoys the support
of President Jonathan and his foot soldiers had been impressing it on members
of the BoT to support the former minister.
Anenih’s
supporters flaunt his experience as former Chairman of the board and his
ability to galvanise support for party position at critical moments. But party
chieftains and members of the board from the North are opposed to Anenih. They
frowned at an arrangement in the party which could throw up a stalwart from the
South-South as the BoT chairman, against the backdrop of the body language of
President Jonathan to contest the 2015 election. “It is the apprehension over 2015
that has made those who know what (Mr. Fix It as Anenih is called) can swing
that has informed their vow that it could be anybody, but not Anenih.
A
source revealed that it was not clear, if Chief Obasanjo has shifted his
support for Dr Ali. “His proposal that the National Secretary of the board,
Senator Walid Jubril should step down for Dr Ali, since both are from the
North-Central would be resisted. Such a pleasant man who had been doing the job
since Obasanjo left the office, would not be traded off like that, a source
further submitted. “It is, however, not clear, if the former president would
abandon Dr. Ali, for the candidature of Chief Iwuanyanwu, as it is being
speculated. Recall that Anenih served as BoT chairman from 2003 to 2007 after
Dr. Alex Ekwueme’s five years’ tenure as pioneer boss of the board.
Ekwueme,
a former vice president in the Second Republic, and the founding protem
National Chairman of the party, served as the BoT boss between 1998 and 2003.
However, Anenih was displaced by Obasanjo in 2007 in what was akin to a palace
coup, barely a month after the end of his second term as president. During his
days as BoT boss, Anenih is known to have wielded great-influence in the
affairs of the party especially in prosecuting its electoral wars nation-wide.
On his part, Ali, a former minister of education, was national chairman of the
party during the twilight of Obasanjo’s second term. Incidentally, he was the
party boss at the same time Anenih was the BoT boss.
A
key ally of the ex-president Obasanjo dating back to his regime as miliatry
Head of State in the ‘70s, it is doubtful whether if the PDP former national
chairman still enjoys the former leader’s confidence. According to the party’s
constitution, about 120 members are qualified to vote for the BoT chairman.
They include former presidents, vice presidents, former speakers, House of
Representatives, ex-Senate presidents, former national chairmen and secretaries
as well as serving ones.
Source:
sun
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