Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and governors of the South East elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party are set on a collision course over the choice of the successor to the outgoing National Chairman of the party, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor.
SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the three PDP governors in the South-East – (Ikedim Ohakim (Imo); Sullivan Chime (Enugu ) and Martin Elechi (Ebonyi) have unanimously rejected the preferred candidate of Obasanjo as successor of Ogbulafor,
who resigned his position on Wednesday.
Ogbulafor‘s resignation climaxed the intrigues thrown up by his trial for corruption.
The governors elected on the platform of the ruling party had on Wednesday agreed to withdraw their support for Ogbulafor, who was accused of corruptly enriching himself when he was serving as Minister of Special Duties in the Obasanjo administration.
It was learnt that President Goodluck Jonathan sealed the fate of Ogbulafor at a meeting with the governors in Abuja on Wednesday. Jonathan was said to have asked the governors, especially his South-East kinsmen to persuade the embattled party leader to throw in the towel on moral ground.
Consequently, the exit of Ogbulafor has thrown up succession crisis in the South-East, which is expected to produce his successor in line with the zoning arrangement of the ruling party.
Although the governors were reported to have settled for a former Governor of Enugu State and former National Secretary of the Party, Chief Okwesiliese Nwodo, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that Obasanjo insisted that a former National Auditor and acting National Secretary of the party, Chief Benard Eze, who is one of his acolytes in the South-East, must succeed Ogbulafor.
Investigation by our correspondent showed that Obasanjo was vehemently opposed to Nwodo, whom he sacked along with former National Chairman of the party, Chief Barnabas Gemade, when he held sway at Aso-Rock.
Already, Obasanjo and the governors, it was further learnt, were jostling for the backing of Jonathan in the battle for the leadership of the party.
A source in the Presidency told SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday that Obasanjo and the governors had met separately with Jonathan on the contentious issue before he travelled to Rivers State, on a two-day official visit to the oil-rich state.
The source said Jonathan advised the combatants to sheathe their swords until he returned to Abuja on Friday.
The source added, ”The exit of Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, as the National Chairman of PDP has led to succession crisis in the South-East of the country.
“In line with the existing arrangement, the position of national chairman was zoned to the South-East. It is clear that President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the national leader of the party, has also given a nod to the arrangement.
“But former President Olusegun Obasanjo is challenging the governors of the PDP in the zone, namely Ikedim Ohakim of Imo State; Sullivan Chime of Enugu State and Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State, on the choice of the new national chairman from the zone.
“Former President Obasanjo is insisting that his boy, who is a former national officer of the party, Benard Eze, should emerge as the new national chairman of the party at all costs. Former President Obasanjo, who is still basking in the euphoria that his political son (Jonathan) has taken charge of the Presidential Villa, is eager to take over the structure of the party.
“The former President is obviously enjoying the limelight that the new political dispensation had offered him and he is desperate to install Benard Eze to show that he is fully back into reckoning. But the PDP governors in the zone have vowed that Benard Eze, would only clinch the position over their dead bodies.
“The governors are backing a former Governor of Enugu State and a former National Secretary of the party, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, to take over the leadership of the party. The former President (Obasanjo) and the governors are mounting pressures on President Goodluck Jonathan, to do their biddings.
“They have met the President (Jonathan) and he asked them to wait until he returned from Rivers State, for amicable resolution of the impasse. But the former President believed that his relationship with President Goodluck Jonathan may help to push Benard Eze through,” added the source, who pleaded that his name should not be mentioned in print.
Meanwhile, the source also said the rating of two former Senate Presidents, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim and Chief Ken Nnamani, before Jonathan by Obasanjo nailed the former lawmakers and sealed their consideration for the coveted party position by the President.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that Obasanjo convinced Jonathan, who initially considered one of the former senate presidents that he would be committing a political suicide by allowing either of them to emerge as the helmsman of the party.
It was learnt that Obasanjo persuaded Jonathan, that either of them would become uncontrollable as head of the National Working Committee of the party.
The source added that Obasanjo reminded the President about the ”uncompromising and uncooperative posture” of the duo as senate presidents during his administration.
Obasanjo was said to have told Jonathan that Nnamani in particular scuttled his third term aspiration.
The source added, ”The hopes by former Senate Presidents Anyim Pius Anyim and Ken Nnamani, to emerge as new National Chairman of the PDP were sealed by a damning report on them by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
”The report which was presented to President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly projected them as disloyal personalities, who could not be trusted with such sensitive position. Former President convinced the incumbent President that Anyim and Nnamani, would assume full power as national chairman of the party.
”He (Obasanjo) reminded the President (Jonathan) about how Chief Ken Nnamani, scuttled his aspiration for third-term and the originality of Chief Anyim Pius Anyim as senate president. His report apparently discouraged the President from considering either of them as successor to the outgoing national chairman.”
Source: PUNCH
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