PDP Commences Search for New BoT Members

•Writes zones for nominations
•South-south nominates Duke, Dokpesi, others as zone’s representatives
•Secondus, Oyinlola, Jegede to contest for national chairman

Chuks Okocha in Abuja
As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prepares for its October 2021 National Convention to elect new members of the National Working Committee (NWC), the party has also commenced search for new members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and its chairman, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

THISDAY gathered that the main opposition party has written to the six geopolitical zones to send their representatives.
It was also learnt that former senate presidents, Adolphus Wabara and David Mark have been tipped as the next chairman of the PDP BoT.

In a letter dated August 9, 2023, the Secretary of the BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, asked all the zones in the country to nominate their new members of the party’s BoT.
The BoT is the conscience of the party and members are nominated once every four years.

THISDAY gathered that the current Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jubrin, who was the Secretary of the Board when the late Chief Tony Anenih was chairman had also acted as BoT chairman before he was later confirmed as substantive chairman.
Party sources revealed that age is no longer on the side of Jubrin, who was elected Senator in Nasarawa State at the age of 31 under the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

To give the BoT firm leadership, Mark and Wabara are being considered as a possible replacement.
Although consultations are still ongoing, it was gathered that party leaders are zeroing down on both of them considering their track record of service and commitment to the party both in and out of office as senate presidents.

Top ranking members of the party leadership who craved anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media on the issue told THISDAY that the party leaders are in the process of rebuilding the party, adding that sacrifices will have to be made.

One of the sources said: “Discussions are also ongoing about reconstituting our Board of Trustees and some of us are considering someone like former Senate President, David Mark for that role.”

The other source further said that considering the sacrifices made by Wabara, he is also under consideration.
He, however, pointed out that the party would not impose any one of them, adding that after consultations and composition, the incoming members would be allowed to choose their chairman based on the party’s guidance.

THISDAY also gathered that the party has also commenced its search for a new national chairman.
According to one of the party’s sources, there is the likelihood that the zoning committee will throw the position open to the South.

And the indication so far is that the embattled National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus from the South-south; former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the party’s governorship candidate in the October 2020 election in Ondo State, Mr. Eyitoyo Jegede (SAN) will contest for the position of the national chairman.
Secondus is said to be enjoying the support of some governors of the party from the North, while Oyinlola is enjoying the support of Governors Wike of Rivers State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
Jegede is said to be backed by the Atiku’s political machinery.

The source said that the PDP Constitution guarantees the constitutional rights of any member to contest.
According to the source, the office of the national chairman would be thrown open to the South and anyone so interested is free to contest, including outgoing members of the PDP NWC.
Meanwhile, the party’s BoT has accepted the nomination of Chief Raymond Dokpesi; former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke; Remi Kuku, Dr. Esther Uduehi from Delta State, and Chief Ferdinand Alabraba as the representatives of the South-south.

In the letter dated August 9, 2021, the BoT Secretary, Wabara requested the nomination of new BoT members from the zones.
In response, the National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the South-South, Mr. Daniel Orbih, sent the names of the nominees from the zone to the party.
In the letter, Orbih wrote: “In accordance with Section 32 (4) of the amended PDP Constitution of 2017, please find below the five BOT nominees from the South-South Zone, two of whom are women. The nominees are: Ferdinand Alabraba, Raymond Dokpesl, Donald Duke, Dr. Esther Uduehi, Mrs. Remi Kuku.”