How Prominent PDP Chieftains Scuttled Peter Obi’s Ministerial Ambition

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News From The State Sunday, July 13th, 2014

IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

Facts have emerged on how Anambra born business mogul, and key financier of the ruling peoples Democratic party, PDP, Chief Arthur Eze, and other chieftains of the party from the state scuttled the initial plan of president Goodluck, Jonathan to appoint immediate past Governor of the state, Peter Obi as federal Minister.

Ex-Gov. Peter Obi (L) and President Goodluck Jonathan

Obi, a close associate and ally of President Jonathan had been the president’s honorary adviser while in office as governor.

Few months to the former governor’s exit from office, there were speculations in many quarters that president Jonathan had concluded plans to appoint him into his cabinet as minister immediately he leaves office, so as to replace the disgraced minister of Aviation, Stella Odua, who was the Anambra representative in the federal executive council before her sack.

To confirm President Jonathan’s intention to appoint Obi as minister, his (Jonathan) Special Adviser on inter party Affairs, senator Ben Obi, who is also from Anambra state, had during the swearing-in of incumbent governor of the state, Dr. Willie Obiano, in Awka, in March this year told the mammoth crowd that the former governor will be joining them at federal executive council soon after leaving the office.

African Examiner investigations revealed that the erstwhile governor’s hope of becoming a minister, was however, dashed following pressures mounted on president Jonathan by Anambra PDP chieftains led by Chief Arthur Eze.

It was further gathered that the Anambra politicians who are still very bitter with the president over his inability to use federal forces to deliver the state to PDP during the last governorship election had threatened to withdraw their supports for him in 2015, should he go ahead to appoint Obi, a member of All progress Grand Alliance APGA as minister representing Anambra state.

A source close to the Anambra PDP, said probably “because President Jonathan does not want to incur the wrath of top politicians in the state, especially the likes of chief Arthur Eze, who is one of the party’s big pockets, he had no option than to jettison his initial plan for the former Governor Obi, and picked the chief executive officer CEO of the federal Road safety Commission FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka.

According to sources, who do not want their names in print: “Anambra PDP members are still angry with president Jonathan, over the state governorship election, which he used in compensating former Governor Obi, for his total loyalty and support for his administration, even as an opposition governor”

“Imagine, how could have Jonathan, even think of making Obi, an APGA man a minster, after producing the governor, that would have been a political blunder on the side of the president”, said the source.