PDP BoT Chairman: Obasanjo’s Candidate, Ahmadu Ali Set To Emerge

Barring any last-minute horse-trading, the immediate past chairman of the board of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, will emerge as the new chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) during an election scheduled for this Tuesday. LEADERSHIP SUNDAY gathered that the two main factions within the BoT keen on clinching the plum job have resolved to endorse Ahmadu Ali for the office.
Prior to this arrangement, there were speculations that President Goodluck Jonathan had tipped one-time BoT chairman of the party Chief Tony Anenih for the job, while former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who had unceremoniously stepped down as the BoT chairman last year, rooted for Ahmadu Ali.
The standoff, which led the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to visit Obasanjo in his Ota Farm late last year, it was learnt, led to the president’s camp conceding the position.
LEADERSHIP SUNDAY checks also confirmed that, in the aftermath of the truce, the presidency announced the reconstitution of some of the federal boards and Anenih was named chairman of the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Though Chief Anenih has not formally withdrawn from the race for the BoT chairman, sources said that he was no longer campaigning.
Before the position was conceded to Ahmadu Ali, LEADERSHIP SUNDAY gathered, his camp had canvassed the view that there was need to give every section of the country a sense of belonging in the sharing of the party’s positions. This, it was learnt, was to maintain a north-south balance.
LEADERSHIP SUNDAY further learnt that it was also resolved that, in the event that Ahmadu Ali, who is from the north-central geopolitical zone, emerges as the BoT chairman, the incumbent secretary of the board, Senator Jubril Walid, who also hails from the north-central zone, would step down.
As at the time of going to press, it could not be confirmed which, between the south-east and south-west, would produce the candidate for the office of secretary of the BoT. But the south-west caucus of the party rose from a meeting late last week to demand that the office of the BoT chairman be zoned to them as, according to them, the zone is marginalised in all the party’s positions.
Following the amendments to the PDP’s constitution, the offices of the BoT chairman and secretary are reserved for senior members of the party. Prior to the recent amendments to the provisions of the party’s constitution, the office of the BoT chairman was reserved for only members who had served as president of Nigeria.
At the close of submission of the notification of interest forms, the BoT secretary announced that 20 candidates had indicated interest in the office. They included Chief Anenih, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Senator Ken Nnamani, and Chief Harry Akande.