Former PDP BoT Chairman, Olusegun Obasanjo
Chuks Okocha
For the first time since former President Olusegun Obasanjo resigned as the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last April, the board met Monday at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to set in motion the process of electing a new chairman.
The meeting of the BoT will be followed by a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, which is scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja.
The NEC meeting will be the first under the current National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
THISDAY learnt that the notice for the BoT meeting, which was signed by the Secretary of the Board, Senator Jubrin Walid, would be the last meeting of the non-statutory members of the board.
It was gathered that the former national chairman of the party, Senator Ahmadu Ali, currently tops the list of those likely to succeed Obasanjo as chairman.
Also, former chairman of the board, Chief Anthony Anenih, is said to be interested in returning to the seat from which he was ousted in 2007.
However, party sources have said that Anenih’s chances are slim because he hails from the South-south, the same geo-political zone as President Goodluck Jonathan, which could count against his bid for the position.
For the plot to enthrone Ali as the new chairman of the BoT to succeed, the incumbent secretary of the board may be asked to quit, as both the chairman and the secretary cannot come from the same geo-political zone.
Ali is from Kogi State, while the secretary of the board, Walid, is from Nasarawa State.
Non-statutory members seeking to be re-elected will have to go back to their zones to obtain a fresh mandate to represent their states and zones on the BoT.
In addition to agreeing on the modalities for the selection of a new chairman, yesterday’s board meeting was also expected to consider and approve the National Working Committee’s (NWC) programme of action for the party, better known as the ‘Three Rs’ and ‘Three Es’
The Three Rs and Es – the brainchild of the national chairman – stand for Reconciliation, Restructuring and Rebuilding, while the three Es stand for Energy, Environmental and Economic Development.
Meanwhile, when the NEC meets today, in addition to other issues, it will approve the running budget of the party for the 2012 financial year.