PDP govs threaten electoral reforms

, Succession plan at variance with C’ttee's recommendation

Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appear to be constituting a threat to at least one of the major recommendations of the Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais Electoral Perform Committee, Sunday Vanguard can now reveal.

Specifically, moves by the PDP governors to encourage the emergence of candidates for elective officers through consensus in the 2011 general elections are at variance with the recommendation of the Uwais committee that political parties should encourage internal democracy.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that moves are in top gear by the PDP governors to ensure that primaries for elective offices, particularly the office of president and state governor are not conducted.

The governors, it was gathered, are putting finishing touches to a proposal for consensus candidates for the offices of president and state governor.

The Justice Mohammed Uwais Committee on Electoral Reforms, in one of its recommendations, had said, “Party conventions, congresses and meetings should be held regularly at all levels and should be free from undue interference. Such party conventions, congresses and meetings should adhere to the scope of their power and authority as entrenched in the party constitution”.

The succession agenda, being pushed by the PDP governors, negates the principle of internal democracy which President Umar Yar’Adua had, himself, advocated in his early days in office.
The PDP National Convention of March 2008, during which a national chairman emerged, did not enjoy the compliment of an election or true party primaries.

Even after the Presidency had intervened, it was the PDP governors who decided, at the last minute, on the choice of the party chairman they wanted, a situation which led to all the chairmanship candidates of the party queuing behind Chief Vincent Ogbulafor as the chief helmsman of the party.

At that national convention, held at the Eagle Square, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, all the contestants for the office of chairman of the PDP dumped their aspiration and endorsed the chairmanship of Ogbulafor.

The recommendation of the Uwais Committee reads:

“Enhancing Internal Democracy in the Political Parties.

“(a) There should be reform of political parties with more insistence on intra-party democracy.

“(b) Party conventions, congresses and meetings should be held regularly at all levels and should be free from undue interference. Such party conventions, congresses and meetings should adhere to the scope of their power and authority as entrenched in the party constitution.

“(c) Party organs should play active roles in determining who is nominated to contest for positions in the party, appropriate to their levels.

“(d) There should be no cross-carpeting under any circumstances.

“(e) Given past internal problems concerning nomination of candidates, political parties should develop internal procedures for candidate nomination that are open, transparent, inclusive and democratic and require that those seeking nominations do not use intimidation, violence, bribery or similar unacceptable methods to gain nomination or office.

“(f) Reports of Administrative Panels should not be used to disqualify candidates, Section 182(1)(i) of the 1999 Constitution should be amended to allow only Judicial Reports and Tribunals to be so used.

“(g) A legal framework should be provided to support justiceability of party nomination. There is no need to expend time and resources on a primary election that will be discarded while courts stand helpless. Section 86 of the 1999 Constitution should be amended to allow a candidate who feels aggrieved in a primary election to go to court.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/28775/41/

Why are these guys so scared of elections ?

Bunch of incompetent, corrupt, thieving fellows