Jonathan in Dilemma over Acceptance of BoT Chairmanship Post

Stakeholders move to stall inauguration of disciplinary committee

Chuks Okocha As the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met last night to appoint a replacement for the former chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, who resigned last week, there was fear that if the out going President Goodluck Jonathan accepts the offer of being the next chairman it might present PDP as a regional party.

Also, there is the fear that Jonathan is trying to grab all the structures of the party in his pocket against all other major stakeholders.

This fear is coming against the background that the acting National chairman of the party, Mr. Uche Secondus, is from Rivers State and the National Secretary, Prof Wale Oladipo, is from Osun State.

Both are from the southern part of the country.

The stakeholders are worried that if Jonathan assumes office as the PDP BoT chairman, it would further complicate the regionalisation of the PDP and alienating of the North.

The president who is billed to hand over on Friday to Muhammadu Buhari is from Bayelsa State.

According to a concerned stakeholder, “we opposed former President Olusegun Obasanjo who after handing over became the chairman of PDP. It is not good for President Jonathan to do same, even if he is offered the office of the chairman of the BoT.

“It would not augur well in view of the party that some of the major offices are already concentrated in the south. We have other competent Nigerians that are members of BoT. President Jonathan should resist the temptation of accepting to become the chairman of the BoT. The choice is his either he accepts to become the chairman of the BoT and further diminish the stars of PDP or reject it thereby brightening the stars of the PDP.”

“The immediate past chairman of the PDP BoT offered President Jonathan the chance of becoming the new chairman, which he rejected, it is not known what informed the outgoing president’s rethink of accepting it now,” the source who is a member of the BoT said.

THISDAY gathered that President Jonathan is said to be in dilemma over the offer of accepting to be the chairman of the PDP BoT.

Meanwhile, there are plans to truncate the planned inauguration of the disciplinary committee scheduled for tomorrow.

THISDAY gathered that some members of the PDP would be filing at injunction at the Federal High Court today to stop the inauguration.

It is for this reason that the party is said to have outsmarted the plans by moving the inauguration to today.

Although the initial plan was to inaugurate the committee tomorrow but having gotten wind that some PDP chieftains were planning to challenge the constitutionality or otherwise of the committee today, the inauguration has to be to frustrate the plan.

“We have a plan to challenge the legality of that kangarooic panel because it is illegal and unlawful. There is a disciplinary committee set up, with the late Dr. Umaru Dikko as the chairman. That panel is still standing and until it is dissolved, another cannot come up,” a source disclosed.