| PDP gives Obasanjo quit
notice
•Bot chairmanship thrown open, mini-convention holds
next year Abuja
From JACOB EDI, Abuja
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
|
Olusegun
Obasanjo
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resolved to
amend its constitution to allow every member of its Board
of Trustees (BOT) to aspire to any leadership position on
the Board.
By this development, the days of former President Olusegun
Obasanjo appears numbered as chairman of the party's BOT.
The resolution followed the ratification of the report of
the Dr Alex Ekwueme Reconciliation Committee, which was reviewed
by another committee headed by the Deputy National Chairman,
Dr Haliru Mohammed.
Accordingly, the party has scheduled a mini convention for
the first quarter of next year to effect the necessary amendments
to its constitution.
The battle to remove the party from Obasanjo's stranglehold
began just shortly after he assumed the position in controversial
circumstances by edging out Chief Tony Anenih.
The party had at the 1996 affirmative congress amended its
constitution to pave way for the emergence of former President
Olusegun Obasanjo as chairman of the board.
Specifically, the 1996 amendment stipulated that only a former
democratically elected ex-president could occupy that position.
In that same amendment also, the functions of the national
chairman of the party was ceded considerably to the BOT chairman,
especially as it had to do with decisions on the day-to-day
running of the party.
However, the leadership at that time under Amadu Ali kept
their distance from challenging what they apparently knew
was at variance with the party’s philosophy. But efforts
to get the party to amend its constitution has not been very
successful until Tuesday.
Sources hinted Daily Sun that spirited efforts by Obasanjo's
henchmen to prevent the NEC from adopting the resolution to
amend the party’s constitution were not successful.
South West governors were conspicuously absent at Tuesday's
NEC, but it could not be ascertained at press time whether
it was a walkout.
Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, National Publicity
Secretary, Rufai Ahmed Alkali explained that it was the overwhelming
desire of the party stalwarts that the BOT reverted to its
advisory role as contained in the 2001 constitution of the
party.
“NEC also resolved to propose an amendment to the provisions
of the party's constitution that deals with the leadership,
membership and functions of the Board of Trustees.
”NEC accepted the recommendation that the Board of Trustees
should revert to its advisory role as contained in the PDP
Constitution 2001 (as amended). NEC also accepted the recommendation
that any member of the Board of Trustees can aspire to chair
the Board as against the current provision that limits the
chairmanship to former holders of particular offices.
”NEC also resolved on the reconstitution of the Board
of Trustees in line with the proposed amendments. A special
National Convention of the party shall hold in the first quarter
of 2009 to consider these constitutional amendment proposals,”
a statement issued at the end of the meeting said.
The party also announced that a summit of the founding fathers
of the party would be convened in the last quarter of this
year to deliberate on how best the party could be repositioned
to return to its original values and enhance internal democracy.
The disciplinary committee of the party as well as the board
of the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), which were reconstituted
on Tuesday are both to be headed by the Deputy National Chairman,
Haliru Mohammed.
Earlier in his remarks, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua
described the Vision 2020 enunciated by the party as a vision,
mission and a challenge, saying that if realized, it would
address the crisis of poverty and disease, which were prevalent
on the African continent.
He urged all Nigerians to identify with the vision, adding
that government would exert itself to ensure it fulfilled
its mission of transforming the country.
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