{"id":470757,"date":"2011-07-31T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-31T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/"},"modified":"2011-07-31T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-07-31T06:00:00","slug":"pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/","title":{"rendered":"PDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n<\/p>\n

As the contest for the position of Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party begins, OLUSOLA FABIYI writes that the contestants will do almost anything to get the seat because of the perks attached to it<\/span><\/p>\n

The post of the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party is a highly revered one. Apart from having unhindered access to Nigeria\u2019s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and the seat of power, he also has influence on all the governors elected on the platform of the party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being the national leader of the party, he is the number one man of the PDP and presides over its National Working Committee. With a fleet of exotic cars, and a retinue of aides including five advisers, the chairman of the PDP also goes about with seven riot policemen and a sizeable number of detectives from the State Security Service.<\/span><\/p>\n

The recent ascendency to the position of the acting chairman of the party by Alhaji Kawu Baraje shows that the position is worth being envied. Few hours after the former chairman, Dr. Haliru Bello, who is now the Minister of Defence handed over to the former permanent secretary in the Kwara State civil service, the aura around him changed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Baraje, who was hitherto without a policeman attached to him, became unreachable as the security operatives swiftly moved to give him protection expected of the man presiding over the largest party in Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without a doubt, every member of the party\u2019s NWC is equally important. In fact, apart from the chairman, other members of the party\u2019s NWC are said to be equivalent to federal ministers. They have their official jeeps and also collect monthly salaries equivalent to that of a minister.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone who doubts the powers of the party\u2019s chairman should peep at its constitution. The chairman of the party summons and presides over the meetings of the national convention, the National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the NWC of the party. He also provides effective leadership and directs the activities of the party under the overall supervision of the NEC.<\/span><\/p>\n

As expected, after the outcome of the party\u2019s activities, the chairman does not come out of office a poor man, especially if he had the fortune of being in office in an elective year. Apart from this, some are also made ministers, like the former chairman of the party, Dr. Haliru Mohammed, who now calls the shots at the ministry of defence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following Mohammed\u2019s exit, many prominent members of the party from the North-East, where the position has been zoned by the leadership of the party, have lined up to succeed him as the eighth chairman. Among them are Alhaji Gambo Lawan, Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Amb. Idris Waziri, Amb. Hassan Adamu, the acting National Secretary of the party, Dr. Musa Babayo, Senator Jubril Aminu and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the bunch, Lawan, who had openly declared his interest, said it was time for the old ones to leave the stage for the younger generation. The former National Chairman of the Grassroots Democratic Movement said that though the old brigade in the party had the constitutional right to aspire to the position of chairman, the time had come in the life of the party for a generational change, if the party must address its problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThe old ones have the right to contest for the chairmanship position, but this is the time for young men to take charge of the affairs of the party. Young men are ruling all over the world; PDP cannot be an exception, we need to grow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While promising to carry out what he called \u201cthe holistic reconciliation of members of the party,\u201d Gambo said that he would ensure that those who left the party in anger returned to it in order to contribute their quota to its growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

But hardly had the aspirants expressed their desire to lead the party when their traducers came out to tell Nigerians why they should not be allowed to occupy the highly esteemed office.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, the PDP-led government of Adamawa State said that it would block the efforts being made by the trio of Aminu, Tukur and Adamu to become chairman. This move by Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, and the state party leadership which he firmly controls has heightened tension in the political party.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Senior Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr. Aminu Iyawa, said that the state government and party would frustrate the efforts of the three contestants because they did not work for the PDP during the last general elections in the state.<\/span><\/p>\n

Iyawa said, \u201cAs far as the government and the Adamawa PDP are concerned, we will work against attempts to give the position of the National Chairman of the PDP to Aminu, Tukur or Adamu. Our reasons for taking this decision are simple. The trio never worked nor identified with the PDP before we achieved the victory in the presidential, national and state assembly elections last April.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He further accused the aspirants of staying put in Abuja instead of joining forces with other party members to ensure that the PDP excelled in the elections, adding that the government and the state chapter of the party would prefer someone, who worked tirelessly for the party in the last elections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Such bickering has led to the unceremonial sacking or resignation of some past chairmen of the party. Political analysts like Mr. Babafemi Agbeluyi and Onyema Ikedi, who are lawyers, say that this type of bickering may be the lot of the incoming chairman as the majority of those who presided over the party in the past usually got enmeshed in one controversy or the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

Truly, from the days of Chief Solomon Lar, who was the first chairman of the party, to the days of those who assumed office after him, the position of the chairman of the party has always been a searing one as revealed by the turbulent tenures of Senator Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbe, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of all these men, only Ali left the office on his volition, but not without a scar as his attempt to make his wife a senator on the platform of the party was truncated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in connivance with the then Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ogbulafor on the other hand, is still keeping dates with the court where he is facing a corruption charge. Nwodo, who was the previous casualty, was asked to leave when he attempted to reform the party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within three years, the PDP has had three national chairmen. The question on the lips of many is if the incoming chairman will also be a victim of the banana peel, which is said to be at the party\u2019s headquarters popularly called the Wadata House.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Read More:
\nPDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the contest for the position of Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party begins, OLUSOLA FABIYI writes that the contestants will do almost anything to get the seat because of the perks attached to it The post of the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party is a highly revered one. Apart from having unhindered access to Nigeria\u2019s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and the seat of power, he also has influence on all the governors elected on the platform of the party. Being the national leader of the party, he is the number one man of the PDP and presides over its National Working Committee. With a fleet of exotic cars, and a retinue of aides including five advisers, the chairman of the PDP also goes about with seven riot policemen and a sizeable number of detectives from the State Security Service. The recent ascendency to the position of the acting chairman of the party by Alhaji Kawu Baraje shows that the position is worth being envied. Few hours after the former chairman, Dr. Haliru Bello, who is now the Minister of Defence handed over to the former permanent secretary in the Kwara State civil service, the aura around him changed. Baraje, who was hitherto without a policeman attached to him, became unreachable as the security operatives swiftly moved to give him protection expected of the man presiding over the largest party in Africa. Without a doubt, every member of the party\u2019s NWC is equally important. In fact, apart from the chairman, other members of the party\u2019s NWC are said to be equivalent to federal ministers. They have their official jeeps and also collect monthly salaries equivalent to that of a minister. Anyone who doubts the powers of the party\u2019s chairman should peep at its constitution. The chairman of the party summons and presides over the meetings of the national convention, the National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the NWC of the party. He also provides effective leadership and directs the activities of the party under the overall supervision of the NEC. As expected, after the outcome of the party\u2019s activities, the chairman does not come out of office a poor man, especially if he had the fortune of being in office in an elective year. Apart from this, some are also made ministers, like the former chairman of the party, Dr. Haliru Mohammed, who now calls the shots at the ministry of defence. Following Mohammed\u2019s exit, many prominent members of the party from the North-East, where the position has been zoned by the leadership of the party, have lined up to succeed him as the eighth chairman. Among them are Alhaji Gambo Lawan, Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Amb. Idris Waziri, Amb. Hassan Adamu, the acting National Secretary of the party, Dr. Musa Babayo, Senator Jubril Aminu and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. Among the bunch, Lawan, who had openly declared his interest, said it was time for the old ones to leave the stage for the younger generation. The former National Chairman of the Grassroots Democratic Movement said that though the old brigade in the party had the constitutional right to aspire to the position of chairman, the time had come in the life of the party for a generational change, if the party must address its problems. He said, \u201cThe old ones have the right to contest for the chairmanship position, but this is the time for young men to take charge of the affairs of the party. Young men are ruling all over the world; PDP cannot be an exception, we need to grow.\u201d While promising to carry out what he called \u201cthe holistic reconciliation of members of the party,\u201d Gambo said that he would ensure that those who left the party in anger returned to it in order to contribute their quota to its growth. But hardly had the aspirants expressed their desire to lead the party when their traducers came out to tell Nigerians why they should not be allowed to occupy the highly esteemed office. For example, the PDP-led government of Adamawa State said that it would block the efforts being made by the trio of Aminu, Tukur and Adamu to become chairman. This move by Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, and the state party leadership which he firmly controls has heightened tension in the political party. The Senior Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr. Aminu Iyawa, said that the state government and party would frustrate the efforts of the three contestants because they did not work for the PDP during the last general elections in the state. Iyawa said, \u201cAs far as the government and the Adamawa PDP are concerned, we will work against attempts to give the position of the National Chairman of the PDP to Aminu, Tukur or Adamu. Our reasons for taking this decision are simple. The trio never worked nor identified with the PDP before we achieved the victory in the presidential, national and state assembly elections last April.\u201d He further accused the aspirants of staying put in Abuja instead of joining forces with other party members to ensure that the PDP excelled in the elections, adding that the government and the state chapter of the party would prefer someone, who worked tirelessly for the party in the last elections. Such bickering has led to the unceremonial sacking or resignation of some past chairmen of the party. Political analysts like Mr. Babafemi Agbeluyi and Onyema Ikedi, who are lawyers, say that this type of bickering may be the lot of the incoming chairman as the majority of those who presided over the party in the past usually got enmeshed in one controversy or the other. Truly, from the days of Chief Solomon Lar, who was the first chairman of the party, to the days of those who assumed office after him, the position of the chairman of the party has always been a searing one as revealed by the turbulent tenures of Senator Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbe, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo. Of all these men, only Ali left the office on his volition, but not without a scar as his attempt to make his wife a senator on the platform of the party was truncated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in connivance with the then Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori. Ogbulafor on the other hand, is still keeping dates with the court where he is facing a corruption charge. Nwodo, who was the previous casualty, was asked to leave when he attempted to reform the party. Within three years, the PDP has had three national chairmen. The question on the lips of many is if the incoming chairman will also be a victim of the banana peel, which is said to be at the party\u2019s headquarters popularly called the Wadata House. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-470757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nPDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"PDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"As the contest for the position of Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party begins, OLUSOLA FABIYI writes that the contestants will do almost anything to get the seat because of the perks attached to it The post of the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party is a highly revered one. Apart from having unhindered access to Nigeria\u2019s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and the seat of power, he also has influence on all the governors elected on the platform of the party. Being the national leader of the party, he is the number one man of the PDP and presides over its National Working Committee. With a fleet of exotic cars, and a retinue of aides including five advisers, the chairman of the PDP also goes about with seven riot policemen and a sizeable number of detectives from the State Security Service. The recent ascendency to the position of the acting chairman of the party by Alhaji Kawu Baraje shows that the position is worth being envied. Few hours after the former chairman, Dr. Haliru Bello, who is now the Minister of Defence handed over to the former permanent secretary in the Kwara State civil service, the aura around him changed. Baraje, who was hitherto without a policeman attached to him, became unreachable as the security operatives swiftly moved to give him protection expected of the man presiding over the largest party in Africa. Without a doubt, every member of the party\u2019s NWC is equally important. In fact, apart from the chairman, other members of the party\u2019s NWC are said to be equivalent to federal ministers. They have their official jeeps and also collect monthly salaries equivalent to that of a minister. Anyone who doubts the powers of the party\u2019s chairman should peep at its constitution. The chairman of the party summons and presides over the meetings of the national convention, the National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the NWC of the party. He also provides effective leadership and directs the activities of the party under the overall supervision of the NEC. As expected, after the outcome of the party\u2019s activities, the chairman does not come out of office a poor man, especially if he had the fortune of being in office in an elective year. Apart from this, some are also made ministers, like the former chairman of the party, Dr. Haliru Mohammed, who now calls the shots at the ministry of defence. Following Mohammed\u2019s exit, many prominent members of the party from the North-East, where the position has been zoned by the leadership of the party, have lined up to succeed him as the eighth chairman. Among them are Alhaji Gambo Lawan, Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Amb. Idris Waziri, Amb. Hassan Adamu, the acting National Secretary of the party, Dr. Musa Babayo, Senator Jubril Aminu and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. Among the bunch, Lawan, who had openly declared his interest, said it was time for the old ones to leave the stage for the younger generation. The former National Chairman of the Grassroots Democratic Movement said that though the old brigade in the party had the constitutional right to aspire to the position of chairman, the time had come in the life of the party for a generational change, if the party must address its problems. He said, \u201cThe old ones have the right to contest for the chairmanship position, but this is the time for young men to take charge of the affairs of the party. Young men are ruling all over the world; PDP cannot be an exception, we need to grow.\u201d While promising to carry out what he called \u201cthe holistic reconciliation of members of the party,\u201d Gambo said that he would ensure that those who left the party in anger returned to it in order to contribute their quota to its growth. But hardly had the aspirants expressed their desire to lead the party when their traducers came out to tell Nigerians why they should not be allowed to occupy the highly esteemed office. For example, the PDP-led government of Adamawa State said that it would block the efforts being made by the trio of Aminu, Tukur and Adamu to become chairman. This move by Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, and the state party leadership which he firmly controls has heightened tension in the political party. The Senior Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr. Aminu Iyawa, said that the state government and party would frustrate the efforts of the three contestants because they did not work for the PDP during the last general elections in the state. Iyawa said, \u201cAs far as the government and the Adamawa PDP are concerned, we will work against attempts to give the position of the National Chairman of the PDP to Aminu, Tukur or Adamu. Our reasons for taking this decision are simple. The trio never worked nor identified with the PDP before we achieved the victory in the presidential, national and state assembly elections last April.\u201d He further accused the aspirants of staying put in Abuja instead of joining forces with other party members to ensure that the PDP excelled in the elections, adding that the government and the state chapter of the party would prefer someone, who worked tirelessly for the party in the last elections. Such bickering has led to the unceremonial sacking or resignation of some past chairmen of the party. Political analysts like Mr. Babafemi Agbeluyi and Onyema Ikedi, who are lawyers, say that this type of bickering may be the lot of the incoming chairman as the majority of those who presided over the party in the past usually got enmeshed in one controversy or the other. Truly, from the days of Chief Solomon Lar, who was the first chairman of the party, to the days of those who assumed office after him, the position of the chairman of the party has always been a searing one as revealed by the turbulent tenures of Senator Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbe, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo. Of all these men, only Ali left the office on his volition, but not without a scar as his attempt to make his wife a senator on the platform of the party was truncated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in connivance with the then Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori. Ogbulafor on the other hand, is still keeping dates with the court where he is facing a corruption charge. Nwodo, who was the previous casualty, was asked to leave when he attempted to reform the party. Within three years, the PDP has had three national chairmen. The question on the lips of many is if the incoming chairman will also be a victim of the banana peel, which is said to be at the party\u2019s headquarters popularly called the Wadata House.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"PDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-07-31T06:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/\"},\"wordCount\":1161,\"commentCount\":0,\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/\",\"name\":\"PDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans - Ghanamma.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-07-31T06:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/\",\"name\":\"Ghanamma.com\",\"description\":\"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"PDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans - Ghanamma.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"PDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans - Ghanamma.com","twitter_description":"As the contest for the position of Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party begins, OLUSOLA FABIYI writes that the contestants will do almost anything to get the seat because of the perks attached to it The post of the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party is a highly revered one. Apart from having unhindered access to Nigeria\u2019s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and the seat of power, he also has influence on all the governors elected on the platform of the party. Being the national leader of the party, he is the number one man of the PDP and presides over its National Working Committee. With a fleet of exotic cars, and a retinue of aides including five advisers, the chairman of the PDP also goes about with seven riot policemen and a sizeable number of detectives from the State Security Service. The recent ascendency to the position of the acting chairman of the party by Alhaji Kawu Baraje shows that the position is worth being envied. Few hours after the former chairman, Dr. Haliru Bello, who is now the Minister of Defence handed over to the former permanent secretary in the Kwara State civil service, the aura around him changed. Baraje, who was hitherto without a policeman attached to him, became unreachable as the security operatives swiftly moved to give him protection expected of the man presiding over the largest party in Africa. Without a doubt, every member of the party\u2019s NWC is equally important. In fact, apart from the chairman, other members of the party\u2019s NWC are said to be equivalent to federal ministers. They have their official jeeps and also collect monthly salaries equivalent to that of a minister. Anyone who doubts the powers of the party\u2019s chairman should peep at its constitution. The chairman of the party summons and presides over the meetings of the national convention, the National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the NWC of the party. He also provides effective leadership and directs the activities of the party under the overall supervision of the NEC. As expected, after the outcome of the party\u2019s activities, the chairman does not come out of office a poor man, especially if he had the fortune of being in office in an elective year. Apart from this, some are also made ministers, like the former chairman of the party, Dr. Haliru Mohammed, who now calls the shots at the ministry of defence. Following Mohammed\u2019s exit, many prominent members of the party from the North-East, where the position has been zoned by the leadership of the party, have lined up to succeed him as the eighth chairman. Among them are Alhaji Gambo Lawan, Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Amb. Idris Waziri, Amb. Hassan Adamu, the acting National Secretary of the party, Dr. Musa Babayo, Senator Jubril Aminu and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. Among the bunch, Lawan, who had openly declared his interest, said it was time for the old ones to leave the stage for the younger generation. The former National Chairman of the Grassroots Democratic Movement said that though the old brigade in the party had the constitutional right to aspire to the position of chairman, the time had come in the life of the party for a generational change, if the party must address its problems. He said, \u201cThe old ones have the right to contest for the chairmanship position, but this is the time for young men to take charge of the affairs of the party. Young men are ruling all over the world; PDP cannot be an exception, we need to grow.\u201d While promising to carry out what he called \u201cthe holistic reconciliation of members of the party,\u201d Gambo said that he would ensure that those who left the party in anger returned to it in order to contribute their quota to its growth. But hardly had the aspirants expressed their desire to lead the party when their traducers came out to tell Nigerians why they should not be allowed to occupy the highly esteemed office. For example, the PDP-led government of Adamawa State said that it would block the efforts being made by the trio of Aminu, Tukur and Adamu to become chairman. This move by Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, and the state party leadership which he firmly controls has heightened tension in the political party. The Senior Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr. Aminu Iyawa, said that the state government and party would frustrate the efforts of the three contestants because they did not work for the PDP during the last general elections in the state. Iyawa said, \u201cAs far as the government and the Adamawa PDP are concerned, we will work against attempts to give the position of the National Chairman of the PDP to Aminu, Tukur or Adamu. Our reasons for taking this decision are simple. The trio never worked nor identified with the PDP before we achieved the victory in the presidential, national and state assembly elections last April.\u201d He further accused the aspirants of staying put in Abuja instead of joining forces with other party members to ensure that the PDP excelled in the elections, adding that the government and the state chapter of the party would prefer someone, who worked tirelessly for the party in the last elections. Such bickering has led to the unceremonial sacking or resignation of some past chairmen of the party. Political analysts like Mr. Babafemi Agbeluyi and Onyema Ikedi, who are lawyers, say that this type of bickering may be the lot of the incoming chairman as the majority of those who presided over the party in the past usually got enmeshed in one controversy or the other. Truly, from the days of Chief Solomon Lar, who was the first chairman of the party, to the days of those who assumed office after him, the position of the chairman of the party has always been a searing one as revealed by the turbulent tenures of Senator Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbe, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo. Of all these men, only Ali left the office on his volition, but not without a scar as his attempt to make his wife a senator on the platform of the party was truncated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in connivance with the then Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori. Ogbulafor on the other hand, is still keeping dates with the court where he is facing a corruption charge. Nwodo, who was the previous casualty, was asked to leave when he attempted to reform the party. Within three years, the PDP has had three national chairmen. The question on the lips of many is if the incoming chairman will also be a victim of the banana peel, which is said to be at the party\u2019s headquarters popularly called the Wadata House.","twitter_creator":"@ghanamma","twitter_site":"@ghanamma","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"PDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans","datePublished":"2011-07-31T06:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/"},"wordCount":1161,"commentCount":0,"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/","name":"PDP chairmanship: Battle of the titans - Ghanamma.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website"},"datePublished":"2011-07-31T06:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/31\/pdp-chairmanship-battle-of-the-titans\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/","name":"Ghanamma.com","description":"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470757\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}