BY OLALEKAN ADETAYO
PUNCH
(2013): The three-hour meeting of members of the Board of Trustees of
the Peoples Democratic Party held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on
Tuesday failed to produce a new chairman of the board as expected.
The meeting was meant to elect a replacement for
former President Olusegun Obasanjo who resigned from the position last
year for personal reasons.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end
of the meeting which ended at about 11.30pm, Nigeria’s Ambassador to
Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, said a committee was set up to streamline
membership of the board in preparation for the election of a new
chairman.
The committee has three weeks to conclude its assignment.
Maduekwe was joined at the briefing by the board’s
Secretary, Senator Walid Jibrin; former Minister of Information, Prof.
Jerry Gana, and presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati.
Maduekwe said the mandate of the committee was to
properly align membership of the board in such a way that the election
of the next BoT chairman would be a model of internal democracy.
He however said apart from the procedure for the
election, the meeting did not come close to discussing the aspirants or
endorsing any of them.
“The meeting did not come close to election,
nomination or endorsement of any aspirant. There was no deadlock and no
gridlock,” he said.
Gana, on his part, admitted that the decision to set
up the committee arose because some members were already challenging the
legality of some people to vote.
He also faulted reports that some PDP governors were
planning to unseat the party’s chairman, Bamanga Tukur, saying the
governors were law abiding party members.
Jibrin said so far, 12 members of the board had shown interest in the chairmanship job.
He said it was when Gana’s committee concluded its assignment and submit report that a date for the election will be chosen.
Maduekwe however added another dimension when he said the BoT had no constitutional duty to conduct election in the meeting.
He said the latest move was to reduce likely area of
challenge since the simplest of election would stand the risk of being
challenged.
Maduekwe said the committee, which would be headed by
Gana, has Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Governor Ibrahim Shema, Chief Olabode
George, Hope Uzodinma, and Mrs. Stella Omu as members.
He added that the meeting resolved that Jibrin should continue in his position as the secretary.
He denied reports of any rift or cracks in the PDP.
Maduekwe however said as a big party, minor disagreements based on interests could not be overruled.
He said while efforts were being made to resolve
issues, including that of Adamawa State, members of the National Working
Committee had been directed to stop media war.
On the Adamawa issue, Gana said a committee of party
elders including the President, Vice President, leaders of the National
Assembly and some others would resolve the issue.
President Goodluck Jonathan presided over the meeting
which was attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo; President of the
Senate, David Mark; and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu
Tambuwwal.
Obasanjo did not attend the meeting.
Others who attended the session were former Vice
President Alex Ekwueme; Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur; Secretary,
Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Women Leader, Kema Chikwe; former chairmen of the
party -Bello Haliru Mohammed; Ahmadu Ali; Barnabas Gemade, and Vincent
Ogbulafor.
Others are former Presidents of the Senate, Adolphus
Wabara and Ken Nnamani; former Speakers of the House of Representatives,
Ghali Na’Abba and Patricia Etteh; former Deputy President of the
Senate, Ibrahim Mantu; Governors Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Sule Lamido
(Jigawa); Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, Don Etiebet,
Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Danjuma Goje and Shuaibu Oladokun.
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, Chief Ojo
Maduekwe; his United Kingdom counterpart, Senator Dalhatu Tafida; Chief
Richard Akinjide, Chief Olabode George, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Chief
Emmanuel Nwanyanwu, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Don Etiebet, Senator Bode
Olajumoke, David Jemibewon, Victor Attah, Shuaib Oyedokun and Ebenezer
Babatope also attended.
LibertyReport
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