WHY OBASANJO RESIGNED AS CHAIRMAN OF THE PDP BoT

It’s no longer news that former president Olusegun Obasanjo has resigned his appointment as chairman of the PDP board of trustees. It was all over the media last week when OBJ as he’s fondly called issued a statement which he personally signed, announcing his resignation as chairman of the influential organ of the ruling party week after the election of Bamanga Tukur as the new party leader.

Since his resignation, tongues have been wagging on his sudden exit from the highly esteemed position after five years. Reliable Sources within the party said apart from the fact that the BoT chair is now open for other party leaders to contest, Obasanjo’s influence in the board has also gradually dwindled such that he is most likely to lose the election come July 2012 if he decides to stand for re-election, stressing that there was more to the resignation than the former president’s statement had said. A highly respected source revealed that the former president actually resigned in anger. Obasanjo's influence in the party, according to him had waned tremendously and he had remained a BoT chairman only in name."For so long, he was just a figure head,"  "He has largely been ignored, the President only listens to Tony Anenih and Edwin Clarke” the source added. A source who’s close to one of the members of BoT described his exit from the position as good news.  “I am one hundred percent sure that anybody who challenges him will defeat him, given his dwindling political standing at the moment.” He disclosed that he was not surprised that Obasanjo even failed to confide in the board about his intension to quit three months ahead of the expiration of his tenure. Another close insider alleged that people have been summoning courage to overthrow the ex military president in July if he decided to stand for re-election. Though the former president maintained the decision was to allow him more time to “give some attention to mentoring across the board nationally and internationally in those areas that he had acquired some experience, expertise and in which he have something to share.“By relieving myself of the responsibility for chairmanship of BoT of PDP, I have a bit more time to devote to the international demand on me,” he said.