By Henry Umoru
IN the last twenty-eight days that Prince Vincent Eze Ogbulafor resigned as the national Chairman of the self acclaimed largest party in Africa, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the fight for his replacement has been hysterical.

These last days starting from Thursday 13 May, 2010 that Ogbulafor finally threw in the towel and even prior to the day, like in normal everyday politics in Nigeria, the entire scenario has been that of intrigues, backsliding, scheming, outsmarting and above all, something near imposition if it is not.

For the fact that the National Chairmanship position was since 2008 zoned to the South East, it became very imperative that a replacement for the immediate past National Chairman must also come from the same zone and for this reason, the stage was set for who becomes the PDP National Chairman.

Names like the former Minister of Education, Sam Egwu from Ebonyi, ex_Minister of Commerce and Industry, Achike Udenwa from Imo State became the first names that were being rumoured to contest for the position, but before the end of last month, the names were no longer mentioned, indication that they must have jettisoned the idea.

Other aspirants for the position are former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim from Ebonyi, ex_Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Ike Nwachukwu from Abia State, former Secretaries of the Party, Okwesilieze Nwodo and Bernard Eze both from Enugu state.

Also lined up to become the National Chairman are Chief Dan Ulasi from Anambra State, the present National Vice Chairman, South east, Chief Olisa Metu also from Anambra State, former National Vice Chairman of the zone, Fidelis Nze Izuchukwu, Mao Ohuanbunwa, Engr. Ezekiel Izuogu, Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu, Mrs Carol Nwosu, Chief Rex Onyeabor; Chief Ogbonnaya Aja_Nwachukwu, Chief Sonny Iroche, Senator Polycarp Nwite, Chief Noel Chukwukadi
bia, former Nigeria Ambassador to Togo, Thomas Aguiyi_ Ironsi.

As the days passed by especially in the last few days and with events that unfolded following the meetings of the PDP National Caucus held on Sunday into the early hours of Monday and the meeting of Board of Trustees, BoT that was also held on Monday through the early hours of Tuesday, it became very clear that big names like Anyim Pius Anyim, Dan Ulasi, Ozichukwu, Metu, Ike Nwachukwu, Bernard Eze were not favoured for the position following the endorsement of Nwodo by both the National Caucus and the BoT of the party, thereby shifting the goal post to the National Executive Committee, NEC, barring another last minute change would hold June 17 where Nwodo’s name will be finally presented to members for ratification as the Chairman of the party.

Though it was not easy having his name scaled through at both meetings against the backdrop that he is relatively knew to the party having dumped it for the Action congress, AC and the Mega Party before he finally returned to the PDP. The Chairman designate of the party is also being criticized as not fit to occupy the position because of the $214million National ID card fraud when the person who would replaced resigned to face allegations of N110 million fraud.

Also on Tuesday,  a group under the aegis, PDP stability Forum, PSF described the imposition of Nwodo as not only ridiculous, but negates the principle of equity, justice and fair play, just as they urged the party not to make him the national Chairman against the backdrop that a moral burden looms on his head.

According to the Convener of PDP stability Forum, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere who noted that the group had dragged Nwodo, PDP, INEC to court, said that “Nwodo’s chairmanship will make the PDP a boot of jokes and the party and President Goodluck Jonathan cannot afford this. For the PDP to rescue itself from this looming calamity, the party must save itself from this self-destruct agenda of a greedy and selfish few and look beyond Wadata Plaza in this.

“For the bottom line is this, if Nwodo is confirmed, then Ogbulafor needs to be anointed a saint. Days of evil machinations and self_serving strategy of a few must be checked and brought to an end if this nation must succeed.

“To bring this to a logical conclusion, we have just concluded filing a case at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking for a perpetual injunction against Nwodo ‘s aspiration and consideration as a possible candidate for the post of PDP chairman”, he said.

In the suit no : FHC/ABJ/396/201 filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the PDP, National Executive Committee (NEC) , Nwodo and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 4th defendant respectively, Ugochinyere urged the court to restrain NEC from appointing Nwodo as the National Chairman of the PDP.

Now that the world, PDP stakeholders, PDP’s admirers, members await the decision of the National Executive Committee, NEC as the final arbiter  in this matter of endorsing Nwodo as the  National of the Party, will the body perform what is different from what the National Caucus and the BOT have done, will it go the other way?

Will members of NEC afford to disagree with President Goodluck Jonathan’s choice, do we have much difference between the Caucus, BOT and the NEC in terms of composition, infact, majority of members of other bodies are also in NEC except for the governors.

Composition of PDP NEC?

According to Article 12.71 of the PDP’s constitution, National Executive shall consist of: The National Chairman of the Party, President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, if members of the Party;   Chairman and Secretary Board of Trustees; all other members of Board of Trustees who shall have no voting rights; the President of the Senate, the Deputy President of the Senate, the Senate Leader and Deputy Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip, two Senators from each of the geo– political zones who are members of the Party; the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, the Leader and Deputy Leader, the Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Representatives, three members from the House of Representatives from each geo-political zone, who are members of the Party.

Other members of NEC are all the State Governors, who are members of the Party, the National Vice Chairmen; the National Secretary and the Deputy National Secretary; the National Treasurer and the Deputy National Treasurer; the National Financial Secretary and the Deputy National Financial Secretary; the National Organizing Secretary and the Deputy National Organizing Secretary; the National publicity Secretary and the Deputy National Publicity Secretary; National Legal Adviser and the Deputy National Legal Adviser; the National Auditor and the Deputy National Auditor.

The National Woman Leader and the Deputy National Woman Leader; State Party Chairmen, the National Youth Leader and the deputy National Youth Leader; four other ex-officio members of the Party, at least two of whom shall be women, elected from each of the six geo-political zones; and all former Deputy National Chairmen, Chairmen and Secretaries of Board of Trustees, who are still members of the Party.

Will NEC ratify Nwodo or not?

Performing one of its functions as contained in Article 12.72(M), PDP NEC will deal with the issue of Nwodo at the next week which has been referred to it by both the National Caucus and the BOT of the party. How far will NEC go, will it be case of Nwodo carry go at the meeting when the name will be presented before them to either ratify or not.

Questions that beg  answers are will the twenty-eight governors of the party go contrary to the position of the president, may be five out of the present number who will be ending their eight year_ tenure in their respective states might be bold to say no that Nwodo should be cleared of his alleged financial scam or that he was not too stable in the party.

The other twenty_three because of their personal aggrandizement to run for the second time in their respective states may just say to Mr. President, wherever you go, we go, your person this time shall be our person. These governors will also take this position for the reason that they may not want to offend Nwodo against the backdrop that they will need him to climb to the top before and during primaries.

Ratifying Nwodo’s name at the NEC will be a walk-over because the President, his Vice, the leadership of both the Senate and the House of Representatives were at both the BoT and Caucus where his name scaled through, so there will be no divergent opinion from these people who had already agreed for Nwodo at those meetings, same applies to some BoT members who are also members of NEC.

How far will members of the National Working Committee, NWC go at the NEC meeting? Will the acting National Chairman, Dr. Haliru Mohammed Bello disagree with President Jonathan when he may be looking for all available roots to sound a nice man to the President especially as he is currently facing charges leveled against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC over the N238 million Siemens.