Contrary to the widely held belief that the Reform Group’s candidate had the backing of the presidency as the national chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party ( PDP), the pendulum has changed in favour of a new candidate, NEXT has learnt.
Chieftains of the party and some National Assembly leaders met with President Goodluck Jonathan early Wednesday morning, and settled for Fidelis Ozichukwu as a replacement for the former chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor, who retired last week.
Mr. Ozichukwu was the former national vice chairman of the party in the south-east, and hails from Imo State.
Mr. Ogbulafor resigned his chairmanship last week Thursday, following the N200 million fraud discovered in the contract award when he was Minister of Special Duties in 2004. Now, he is facing a court charge over the criminal offence.
Several names, including the former senate president, Anyim Pius Anyim, and Alphonsus B.C. Nwosu, were peddled as the contenders for the job.
The decision to settle for the less controversial candidate, a source said, was to avoid another round of rancour between the president and the governors.
The governors were responsible for the emergence of Mr. Ogbulafor, as against the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo’s preference for Sam Egwu, the former governor of Ebonyi State. >>>
