PDP chairmanship: Govs plan to stop Tukur

Peoples Democratic Party governors may have concluded plans to reject any candidate presented by President Goodluck Jonathan for the PDP national chairmanship.

In effect, the fate of the reported anointed candidate for the post by the President, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, may be hanging in the balance.

Our correspondent learnt that the governors were also not happy with the plan by the leadership of the party’s decision to amend the the party’s constitution, despite their protests.

It was learnt that the governors suspected that Jonathan might have a hidden agenda for 2015 election, hence his interest on who becomes the chairman of the party.

Before now, the governors were said to have agreed to back anyone presented by the President for the job, but current developments was said to have appealed to force them to move for their own man.

Our correspondent learnt that the governors had earlier agreed to meet with the President to analyse shortlisted aspirants and collectively pick one of them, especially the one favoured by the President.

The leadership of the party and the Presidency were said to have started moves that would see the party members queue up behind the preferred candidate at the party’s national convention slated for March 24 in Abuja.

But with the decision of the party to amend its constitution with the aim of making some members of the National Assembly as members of the party’s National Executive, the governors might have resolved to look for their own candidate as chairman of the party.

The governors were said to have been angered that the party’s Constitution Review Committee, led by its National Legal Adviser, Chief Olusola Oke, recommended that membership of its National Executive Committee should be increased.

One of the governors, said, “With the arrogant way which the leadership of the party and the Presidency is going about with the proposed amendment, we think there are things we don’t know yet.

“It is better we go back and consider our stand on who becomes the chairman of the party. We don’t want to go to war with a commander who we cannot vouch for.”