PDP chairmanship: Obasanjo rejects Okorocha, offers him options
By Halim Mohammed
Saturday, July 07, 2007

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has told Owelle Rochas Okorocha to forget his chairmanship ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Saturday Sun can exclusively reveal.

Sources informed that Owelle Okorocha visited the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party at his Ota farm on Saturday, June 30 with an influential delegation of Igbo top chiefs including real estate tycoon, Chief Austin and Mr. Andy Ubah, Obasanjo’s former aide to solicit for his (Obasanjo’s ) support in becoming the next chairman of PDP, a post that has been zoned to the South East by the party.
It was gathered that despite Obasanjo’s good relationship with Uba and Okorocha and having worked for the ex-president as special advisers, Obasanjo poured cold water on Okorocha’s ambition when the Imo State born politician raised the issue that brought him to Ota farm.
“You cannot be the chairman of the PDP” Obasanjo was quoted to the have told Owelle Okorocha without dancing around the issue.

He was said to have instead told the chairmanship aspirant that he had four things for him which will make him more relevant in the scheme of things than she chairmanship of the party. Obasanjo was said to have offered him the chairmanship of the board of any grade A federal agency and an ambassadorial postion among others.
Saturday Sun gathered that she ex-president already has his anointed candidate in the person of a former governor from the South East.

“He thinks that if he installs the ex-governor as the chairman of the party his hold on it (PDP) would have been completed so that hawks waiting in the wings to hijack the party will be kept at bay”, revealed a source close to the ex-president. “He installed the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President despite oppositions from the hawks, so the only leg remaining is the chairmanship of the party so that he can have a party of his dream”, added the source.

However, it could not be confirmed if Owelle Okorocha took the ex-president advice but what Saturday Sun learnt was that from Ota, theImo State born politician took off in his private jet to Kano to continue his campaign for the chairmanship of the party.

It was gathered that among the chairmanship aspirants from the South East, the aspirant is heavily supported in the 19 states of the north to become the next chairman after Senator Ahmadu Ali.
It is because of this wide support he has in the North that gave him the confidence to approach the ex-president for his backing.

“It was Andy Ubah that suggested that Owelle should seek Baba’s blessing for his ambition.Despite Baba’s position, Owelle is undaunted” said a source close to the billionaire politician who was also on the trip to Ota.


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Comment: The emperor of Ota will rule Nigeria until the day he dies. Yar'Adua is just a puppet. We tried to tell the naysayers but they are dreamers. This devilish Iyabo's father (not mine) for those who like to call him 'baba' chose right when he chose the docile and do-nothing Yar'Adua. Dream on people!!!!!!!!!! OBJ mis-rules on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!