By Danlami Nmodu
A new twist may have emerged in the protracted battle for the chairmanship of the Board of Trustees ,BoT of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party,PDP. Highly placed sources have told Newsdiaryonline.com that former Vice President Alex Ekwueme is now tipped to emerge as the new chairman of the party’s BoT.
It was learnt that even Aso Rock ,Nigeria’s seat of power may be working towards this new calculation. One Aso Rock insider revealed that neither Ahmadu Alli nor Tony Anenih will get the coveted post anymore as the new arrangement is for Ekwueme to become the new chairman.
What is making the presidency think along this new line remains unclear. Hitherto, it was thought that President Goodluck Jonathan had been solidly behind Anenih for the BoT seat.But former President Olusegun Obasanjo who resigned from the post all of a sudden is believed to be backing Alli ,a former national chairman for the post.
A meeting late 2012 failed to produce a new chair.The election was deferred to this month.But a meeting last Tuesday night aimed at electing the BoT chair also was inconclusive.The election is expected to be held next month.And feelers from Aso Rock insiders say Ekwueme may eventually emerge as the new BoT chairman.Ekwueme was at this week’s inconclusive BoT meeting in Abuja.
It is believed the long-drawn battle for the BoT chair may be a reflection of the looming struggle for the 2015 presidency.In fact ,the party has been riddled with incredible crises like the Adamawa crisis which has reverberated at national headquarters of the party where top NWC members decided to rebel agains t Bamanga Tukur the national chairman.The governors too have their axe to grind with Tukur and his men ,a development that has culminated in meetings in Aso Rock aimed at steadying the ship of the party.
The impression Tukur and the governors have given is that all is now well within the party after meetings with President Jonathan.Those however watching the unfolding intrigues however think otherwise as many believe the crisis which has just blown open in the party may heighten as the plot for its 2015 presidential ticket thickens.Many governors as well as former vice President Atiku Abubakar(also from Adamawa state )in the party are believed to be interested in the presidential race, just like Jonathan too is believed to be seeking to knock off his opponents within and outside the party.
