BEVERLY HILLS, May 16, (THEWILL) – The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has elected Senator Wali Jibril as its substantive chairman. Until his election Monday, Jibril was Secretary General and doubled as Acting Chairman of the board, following the resignation of Chief Tony Anenih, after the party’s disgraceful defeat at the general election last year.
The BoT at its meeting in Abuja, also elected Chief Ojo Madueke, a former Minister and ex-High Commissioner to Canada, as new Secretary General.
The Board of Trustees also extended the tenure of the National Chairman of the Party, Ali Modu-Sheriff, till 2018, after initially insisting that that he steps down on May 21, 2016, just before the party’s national convention holding this month in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The national chairman and state governors elected on the platform of the party had planned a constitutional amendment at the convention to allow him remain in office. The BoT’s tenure extension deal means the party would jettison the amendment.
Briefing correspondents at the end of the board’s meeting, Madueke said the decisions agreed at the meeting were in the overall interest of the party to help it avoid an implosion.
“Despite the well articulated reservations by some members of the board calling for postponement of the forthcoming convention in Port Harcourt, we have decided to support the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party that the convention should hold,” he said.
The party reiterated that its presidential candidate for the 2019 general election will be from the northern zone and that Modu-Sheriff will be replaced by a Chairman from the southern zone.
Modu-Sheriff who briefed correspondents at the BoT meeting said the decision will be ratified at the national convention.
Some members of the board in attendance at the meeting include Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Chief Tom Ikimi, Senator Adolphus Wabara, Chief Chris Uba, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Mr. Ojo Maduekwe, Shettima Mustapha, Professor Tunde Adeniran, Esther Audu, Senator Stella Omu, Ina Ciroma, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, Professor Jerry Gana, Senator Tanimu Turaki, Chief Mike Oghiadome, Ahmadu Ali, Chief Bode George and Dan Suleiman amongst several others.
