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.<\/p>\n
The meeting was meant to elect a replacement for former President Olusegun Obasanjo who resigned from the position last year for personal reasons.<\/p>\n
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting which ended at about 11.30pm, Nigeria\u2019s 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.
\nThe committee has three weeks to conclude its assignment.<\/p>\n
Maduekwe was joined at the briefing by the board\u2019s Secretary, Senator Walid Jibrin; former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, and presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe meeting did not come close to election, nomination or endorsement of any aspirant. There was no deadlock and no gridlock,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He also faulted reports that some PDP governors were planning to unseat the party\u2019s chairman, Bamanga Tukur, saying the governors were law abiding party members.<\/p>\n
Jibrin said so far, 12 members of the board had shown interest in the chairmanship job.<\/p>\n
He said it was when Gana\u2019s committee concluded its assignment and submit report that a date for the election will be chosen.<\/p>\n
Maduekwe however added another dimension when he said the BoT had no constitutional duty to conduct election in the meeting.<\/p>\n
He said the latest move was to reduce likely area of challenge since the simplest of election would stand the risk of being challenged.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He added that the meeting resolved that Jibrin should continue in his position as the secretary.
\nHe denied reports of any rift or cracks in the PDP.<\/p>\n
Maduekwe however said as a big party, minor disagreements based on interests could not be overruled.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Obasanjo did not attend the meeting.<\/p>\n
Punch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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