Yar’Adua under pressure to back Anyim

By Our Reporter - 24.02.2008

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is being put under intense pressure by some members of his party to back the candidature of a former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, an aspirant for the national chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Sunday Tribune gathered that those pushing for Anyim have impressed it on the president why Anyim’s emergence as the chairman of the party at the March 8 convention will make him enjoy his office.

It was also gathered that among the plotters for Anyim who met with Yar’Adua were a former bigwig in the party and another who currently holds a very strategic position in the government.

According to Sunday Tribune findings, Yar’Adua was sold the idea of dumping Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s preference for national chairman, Dr Sam Egwu, the former governor of Ebonyi State, so that he would be free from the intimidating presence of the former president who, as the Board of Trustees (BOT) chairman is believed to have great influence over the party.

The source also confided in Sunday Tribune that, “you know our president is gentle and appears scared of Obasanjo. He can’t do anything without Obasanjo breathing down his neck. He therefore needs an independent party chairman, especially someone who had once shown Obasanjo his place.”

While also trumpeting Anyim’s credential as a self made person, Sunday Tribune’s source further stated that there are moves already to stop Obasanjo from installing his cronies in choice positions so as to save the party from him.

Sunday Tribune also gathered that the Anyim lobbyists chose their time well because it was at a time that Yar’Adua was confused over the mess he met in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

As usual however, Yar’Adua was said to have been non-committal but the Anyim group has however got the backing of the National Assembly who may vote en-bloc for him while some governors are reportedly backing him surreptitiously.

Sunday Tribune recalls that those rooting for the candidature of Sam Egwu are arguing that it would be dangerous to have in place a national chairman who is being sponsored by those who were originally opposed to the presidential ambition of Yar’Adua.