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Until last year when he joined the debate on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zoning arrangement following the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua, Engineer Barnabas Gemade, had not been much in the news, since his hazy exit as national chairman of the party in 2001.
But even as he literally kept to himself, the former Works Minister could hardly be said to be oblivious of the workings of his intrigue-infested party.
The Senator-elect for Benue Northeast Senatorial District, was however in the news recently, when he faulted the method the party has adopted in choosing its national chairmen since inception in 1999. He attributed the situation where successive occupants of the seat were always removed under controversial circumstances to absence of internal democratic process in the party's affairs.
The one-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Benue Cement Company (BCC) noted that there was no way an occupant of the chairmanship position could have been easily removed before the expiration of his tenure, if he was duly elected at a National Convention of the party.
He therefore warned against a repeat of the trend in choosing the party's next National Chairman.
"The biggest problem associated with the National Chairmanship of the PDP up till this point, to my mind, is that most of the occupants did not go through a free and fair election to become Chairmen. I believe I am the only Chairman that was ever elected at the National Convention....