PDP MOVES TO REMOVE ATIKU, NA’ABBA, OTHERS FROM BOT

AS part of the plot to pave way
for the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as presidential candidate of
the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, the party has started a
process of weeding out some members believed to be opposed to the agenda
from the Board of Trustees (BoT), with a view to whittling their influence in
the party.

The Guardian gathered that the committee raised last month to
carry out an assessment of BoT membership has recommended that some members,
who at one time or the other had cause to decamp and later returned, be
removed.

According to sources, the committee, headed by former Minister for
Information, Prof Jerry Gana, would be submit its report to the party next
week.

The committee, according to sources, recommended that former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar and former Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Alhaji Umar Ghali Na’Abba, have been listed among those to be dropped from the
BoT.

Both joined the Action Congress (ACN) before the 2011
general elections.

It would be recalled that a couple of weeks ago, the BoT met twice
at the Presidential Villa to elect a new chairman, but the Board could not
resolve the matter, because many members were interested in the chairmanship of
the board, which was vacated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in April
last year.

Following the controversy, it was agreed that the membership of
BoT be reviewed and Gana was given the assignment to handle.

The Guardian further gathered that some of the aspirants had
earlier been contacted to come up with a consensus candidate, but most of them
refused, saying the era of imposition in the party was over.

Those in contention include former holder of the post and now
chairman of the Board of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Tony Anenih; Don
Etiebet, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Dr.
Ahmadu Ali, the party’s former national chairman.