by Ranti Joseph

With the ongoing crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and with President Goodluck Jonathan leaving office May 29, there is indication that Jonathan may today formally take over as Chairman of the board of trustees (BoT).

The decision would be taken at today’s meeting of BoT which would hold at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential villa, just as it would be the last meeting President Jonathan would attend as a serving President, though he remains a permanent member unless he changes his party.

According Vanguard today’s meeting which will be presided over by BoT Secretary, Walid Jubril following the resignation of Tony Anenih as chairman, no agenda was given for the meeting, but it may not be unconnected with the present problem the BoT was presently facing where members would be informed of the resignation of Anenih.

The meeting as gathered would enable BoT members deliberate on as well as carry out a postmortem on the March 28 presidential election where the PDP suffered a major defeat by the opposition, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Anenih who resigned on Wednesday as Chairman of BoT through a letter to President Jonathan, said he took the decision for the peace of the party and in favor of Jonathan to take over from him as it was done during the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex- National Chairman, Ahmadu Ali amended the Constitution to read that to be the chairman of BoT, one must be a former President, but that has been expunged from the constitution.

According to the Constitution as amended in 2012, “Board of Trustees shall elect a Chairman and a Secretary from its members who shall also be members of the National Executive Committee; Without prejudice to the provision of this Constitution, ensure that the person to be elected Chairman and Secretary respectively are of proven integrity and have contributed immensely to the growth of the Party.

“Ensure that the Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Trustees shall, subject to Subscriptions (7) and (8) of this Section, serve a term of five years and no more.”