There was palpable tension in the top
echelons of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last night over the
choice of chairman of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT). The board
meets today to decide on the possible choice.
Suggestions were rife that former chairman of the board and current chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Tony Anenih may emerge the ultimate front-runner going by the quantum of support being galvanised in his favour ahead of the meeting of the conclave.
But, there were conflicting feelers also yesterday from other PDP sources that neither Chief Tony Anenih nor Dr Ahmadu Ali may become the next chairman of the BOT, if resolutions by the presidency and some BoT members were anything to go by.
A source who confided in LEADERSHIP said that the presidency has decided to sacrifice its support for Tony Anenih and may have endorsed the option of allowing members to freely vote for their preferred candidate instead of the initially planned consensus option.
"I can reliably tell you that neither Anenih nor Ali would become the BoT chairman. Already it has been agreed upon that there would be election tomorrow and we understand that Chief Anenih might not even be at the meeting.
"For Ahmadu Ali, his case is a forgone issue as the refusal of the BoT secretary, Senator Walid Jubrin to step down has further endangered his ambition because both of them come from the same North Central," the source said.
Anenih, according to sources, would be a product of consensus in deference to the usual practice of the PDP. He is said to enjoy the support of the presidency, the party's National Working Committee (NWC) and other major stakeholders.
What is however certain, according to the source, is that Anenih would square out with former national chairman of the party, Senator Ahmadu Ali, a known ally of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The Anenih/Ali contest is however said to be polarising the party apparatchik along two extreme divides, thus promising a major battle royale except an acceptable consensus is worked out before the meeting today.
Already, the party hierarchy was said to be frantically working out a consensus arrangement last night that would mitigate any open dissention that could trail the choice of Anenih.
Suggestions were rife that former chairman of the board and current chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Tony Anenih may emerge the ultimate front-runner going by the quantum of support being galvanised in his favour ahead of the meeting of the conclave.
But, there were conflicting feelers also yesterday from other PDP sources that neither Chief Tony Anenih nor Dr Ahmadu Ali may become the next chairman of the BOT, if resolutions by the presidency and some BoT members were anything to go by.
A source who confided in LEADERSHIP said that the presidency has decided to sacrifice its support for Tony Anenih and may have endorsed the option of allowing members to freely vote for their preferred candidate instead of the initially planned consensus option.
"I can reliably tell you that neither Anenih nor Ali would become the BoT chairman. Already it has been agreed upon that there would be election tomorrow and we understand that Chief Anenih might not even be at the meeting.
"For Ahmadu Ali, his case is a forgone issue as the refusal of the BoT secretary, Senator Walid Jubrin to step down has further endangered his ambition because both of them come from the same North Central," the source said.
Anenih, according to sources, would be a product of consensus in deference to the usual practice of the PDP. He is said to enjoy the support of the presidency, the party's National Working Committee (NWC) and other major stakeholders.
What is however certain, according to the source, is that Anenih would square out with former national chairman of the party, Senator Ahmadu Ali, a known ally of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The Anenih/Ali contest is however said to be polarising the party apparatchik along two extreme divides, thus promising a major battle royale except an acceptable consensus is worked out before the meeting today.
Already, the party hierarchy was said to be frantically working out a consensus arrangement last night that would mitigate any open dissention that could trail the choice of Anenih.
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