Abubakar Atiku
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to submit himself to a transparent and fair presidential primaries in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, stressing that the guidelines tactically proposed by Chief Tony Anenih for automatic nomination are unconstitutional and capable of throwing the party into deep crises.
During a dinner party marking the 2013 Democracy Day, Chief Anenih, the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, disclosed the possibility of automatic slots for Jonathan and the party’s other governors. “The president and governors who are seeking their second term should be given automatic tickets to contest the second term,” he said.
Calling for “repositioning” of the party,” he described as an embarrassment recend developments in the Nigeria Governors Forum. It is an embarrassing situation which must be urgently addressed. The leadership of the party will not tolerate a situation where it will preside over a divided house.”
In statements in which he seemed to contradict himself, he said, “If a party is strong and there is discipline and those who work hard are rewarded, our government will be stronger. Our problems are not insurmountable. After the tour of the Board of Trustees, we will collate the opinions and make appropriate recommendations to the president as leader of the party. But what I would like to say is that the president and governors who are seeking their second term should be given automatic tickets to contest the second term.”
In a direct response, Atiku said in a statement issued by his media office in Abuja, “By foreclosing free and fair process of selecting its presidential candidate, the PDP might be sending the wrong message to Nigerians about its commitment to conduct free and fair elections for the entire country.”
He warned that any attempt to change the party's rules so as to favour the President as a sole candidate in the event of his willingness to re-contest is unconstitutional, adding that the contest should be open to all desiring to pursue an ambition on the platform of the PDP.
He warned that any attempt to change the party's rules so as to favour the President as a sole candidate in the event of his willingness to re-contest is unconstitutional, adding that the contest should be open to all desiring to pursue an ambition on the platform of the PDP.
Anenih’s suggestion is a reminder of the powerful anti-democracy forces within the PDP that have seen the party use rigging and manipulation to remain in power. Anenih, the party’s “Mr. Fix-It” is known to have deployed rigging in various elections in the past.
It would be recalled that last year during Ghana’s national election, former president and PDP Bot chairman, Olusegun Obasanjo, was castigated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which vowed never again to invite him to work in an observation mission in the future.
Obasanjo had written an anti-democratic recommendation to the ECOWAS commission that the media be curtailed in election observation activities.
Obasanjo had written an anti-democratic recommendation to the ECOWAS commission that the media be curtailed in election observation activities.
“ECOWAS was only fortunate to have [been] at an election of an advanced and stable democracy,” a senior official said. “Were it to be a volatile country, his disposition, recommendations and utterances are not only capable of truncating the electoral process, they are capable of jeopardizing the security and safety of our 250 monitors mobilized from across the sub-region.”
Anenih’s remarks at the dinner is an indication that the PDP is poised to use any means it pleases to place in office any officials it pleases.
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