Following a series of horse trading and compromises, the Board of Trustees, BoT, of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday agreed to the extension of the tenure of chairman of the Party, Senator Ali Modu, by two years. The Board also confirmed the position of its chairman, Senator Jibril Wali, who had been in acting capacity, while also appointing Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe as secretary of the board. While Jibril was appointed unanimously, Ojo
Maduekwe’s appointment followed the stepping down of his sole challenger, Senator Stella Omu.
Addressing journalists after a marathon meeting of the board that lasted for more than six hours, the Secretary of the board, Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe, said the decisions arrived at the meeting were borne out of the over all interest of the unity of the party. According to him, “inspite of the well articulated reservations by some members of the board calling for postponement of the forthcoming convention in Portharcourt, we have decided to support the National Executive Committee of the party that the convention should hold.”
He added that the Board arrived at the decisions based on consensus, since a divided BoT would portend a “divided conscience of the party”. It would be recalled that members of the BOT had been stridently opposed to the continuation of Senator Sheriff in office, while faulting the process of his emergence which they said did not agree with the principles of equity and justice that the party professed.
