Twenty-four hours after leading a team of PDP top shots in the South-West geo-political zone to woo former Oyo State Governor, Senator Rasheed Ladoja back to the party, he threw in his towel yesterday as PDP BOT chair to “have a bit more time to devote to the international demand on me.” He was on the saddle for 58 months.
Since he returned to power on May 29,1999 as civilian head of state, 20 years after he voluntarily quit power as military ruler, Obasanjo has remained a major factor and power broker in the world’s largest black nation.
Though his eight-year reign as president was eventful, his alleged attempt to go for a third term that would have seen him leading the country for a cumulative 15 years smeared his record as a non-sit-tight leader in a continent characterised by sit-tight rulers.
Before bowing out on May 29, 2007, however, Obasanjo ensured that his party retained presidential power through late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Dr Goodluck Jonathan. He also paved the way for a post-president role for himself in the PDP. He got the party’s constitution amended to reserve the BOT slot for only former presidents and national chairmen. The BOT was also made the highest decision-making body of the party as contained in Section 12.76 of the party’s constitution.
Thus, Obasanjo had little or no hassles picking the top seat on June 27, 2007, less than a month after leaving Aso Rock. In a deft move, he had his predecessor, Chief Tony Anenih, pushed aside
As BOT chair, Anenih had fixed the meeting for 8pm, but the time was changed without his consent to 10 a.m and the meeting did not start until 12.30 p.m and ended at about 3 p.m. Obasanjo’s election at the Kano Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, was the first time in PDP’s history that the board of trustees meeting would be held in the morning. Past gatherings had always been in the night. Though Anenih was absent at the meeting, his wife, Josephine Anenih was present at the meeting where the decision was taken to replace his husband.
With his emergence as chairman of the board, Obasanjo brought his influence to bear on the affairs of the party. When Yar’Adua became terminally ill about two years into his four year tenure, Obasanjo, who first visited the ailing president in a Saudi hospital returned to champion the crusade for Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to be sworn-in as acting president as Yar’Adua did not hand-over to him before traveling out.
The polity was intensely divided over the matter. Some power forces, especially from the North opposed the move f....Obasanjo Resigns As PDP’s BOT Chairman:What next for PDP, Jonathan?|nai jane du http://bit.ly/Heb9q3
| Posted: at | |
TRENDING GISTS 
Meet Nigerian Joshua Beckford, Youngest Person To Attend Oxford University
Police Foil Suspected Midnight Crime Operation On Lekki-Ajah Expressway
Arsenal v Chelsea: English Premier League Match,Team News,Goal Scorers and Stats
Content Creator, Untouchable Comedy Survives Terrifying Car Crash (Video + Photos)