Race For PDP BOT Chair: Iwuanyanwu, others decline 'stepping down' For Anenih..Insists An Igboman Must be Chairman

The race for the chair of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) Board of Trustees has entered a new dimension, following indications that frontline politician from Imo State, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and other key contenders for the plum job, have refused to step aside for Chief Anthony Anenih.

This blog was told that the presidency and other top officials of the PDP  rooting for Anenih who was recently appointed Chairman, Board of Directors of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) by President Goodluck Jonathan

Anenih who was one time Chair of the PDP BOT before he was ousted from the post by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is said to be the anointed choice of the PDP bigwigs.

However, the choice of the cabal in the PDP has ran into murky waters following insistence by the likes of Chief Iwuanyanwu and other contestants such as former national chairman of the PDP, Col Ahmadu Ali (Retd) not to heed to the desire of the party bigwigs to step aside for Chief Anenih.

It was also learnt that Chief Iwuanyanwu and co are rooting for the conduct of an election as stipulated in the PDP constitution to elect the party’s BOT chairman, a suggestion said to have not gone down well with the party leadership who prefer a consensus arrangement.

The PDP BOT chair election holds in January 2013. 

 Meanwhile, Briefing newsmen in Abuja of his intention to contest the position, Chief  Iwuanyanwu said that the PDP zoning principle made the provision for the zone to occupy the position.

He said that he was one of the founding members of the party, who contributed to its growth, adding that as a multi-ethnic nation the zoning principle should be adhered to for the development of the party.
Mr Iwuanyanwu said the principle of zoning which was called national character in the constitution should not be dropped as there might be problems.
“In our party we believe in zoning, on Nov. 16, the South East members of this party met in Enugu and party leaders from the zone were all there.
“At that meeting they debated and said that by the party`s principle of zoning, the position of the party’s BoT chairman should come to South East.”
The former Presidential aspirant noted that the PDP’s BoT Secretary was from north, the President from the South-South while the South-East had yet to have any key position in the party.
He said that he was the most qualified person for the party’s BoT chairman haven used his resources and laboured for the party in the past.

“I feel I am the best qualified to take up this job, others are qualified too but I think I should be the best choice of the party.
“I have spent all my wealth on the party and on the people. Before I joined politics I was a rich man.
“But in the process of my political career, I became poorer than I was unlike some people who came to politics and became rich.
“I have not built any house and I have not bought any. Everything I had I got, I had them before I joined politics.
“I had two aircraft but today I have none but am still fighting for the youth and the poor people of this country,’’ Mr Iwuanyanwu said.
He urged the people of the South East and Igbos generally to continue to speak with one voice to ensure they got the PDP BoT chairmanship post.
He, however, said that the job of the PDP BoT was not for everybody but a person who lived in Nigeria and understood the youth.
He further said that it was not a job for urban politicians who never went home except during festive periods and therefore did not understand the plight of their people.
Mr Iwuanyanwu added that a man with straight records who could call party members to order when necessary was needed for the post and urged the party`s leadership to look for one with such records.
He promised to support the party, the president and the legislature if he was given the opportunity to serve as the PDP BoT chairman.
He also called for the continued support of the media, youths and South-South traders, whom, he said, had supported him through the years to ensure the actualisation of his ambition.
20 members of the ruling party had so far indicated interest to contest the PDP BoT chairmanship post which election had been fixed for 8 January 2013.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who was the party’s BoT chairman had resigned his appointment on April 12, to attend to personal issues.