www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/pdp-primaries-party-insists-voting-presidential-primary/

ABUJA—Ahead of the December 6 National Convention of
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP where the sole
candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan would be
ratified, national leadership of the party is insisting that all
delegates to the convention slated to hold at Eagle square,
Abuja, will vote.

Meanwhile, with the
2014 Guideline as
released by the PDP,
all political appointees
may have been
sidelined as delegates
to the convention
where the emergence
of President Jonathan
as the party’s sole
candidate for the
party for the
February, 2015 Presidential election would be sealed.
The PDP has said that having taken a decision at the
National Executive Committee, NEC meeting to adopt
President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate, no
other party member would come up as an aspirant for the
position.

Confirming the position of the party that delegates will vote,
PDP National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh
in a telephone conversation stressed that the party will hold
a presidential nomination primary election where delegates
shall vote to ensure that the ratification of President
Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate was carried out.

According to him, “our constitution is clear on this.
There will be a convention and voting will take place.
However since he has been endorsed by the NEC, we do not
expect responsible and respectable loyal party members to
challenge this wholesome acceptance and endorsement”.

The Party’s position is in line with the provision of the
Electoral Act (2010 as amended) which said primaries must
be conducted, for the nomination of presidential
candidates of political parties, just as section 87 (1)
stipulates that “A political party seeking to nominate
candidates for elections under this Act shall hold primaries
for aspirants to all elective positions.”

Same section 87 (2, 3 and 4) said , “The procedure for the
nomination of candidates by political parties for the various
elective positions shall be by direct or indirect primaries.
A political party that adopts the direct primaries procedure
shall ensure that all aspirants are given equal opportunity
of being voted for by members of the party. A political party
that adopts the system of indirect primaries for the choice
of its candidate shall adopt the procedure outlined below:

“In the case of nominations to the position of Presidential
candidate, a political party shall, hold special conventions in
each of the 36 States of the Federation and FCT, where
delegates shall vote for each of the aspirants at designated
centres in each State Capital on specified dates, a National
Convention shall be held for the ratification of the
candidate with the highest number of votes.

“The aspirant with the highest number of votes at the end
of voting in the 36 States of the Federation and FCT, shall be
declared the winner of the Presidential primaries of the
political party and the aspirants name shall be forwarded to
the Independent National Electoral Commission as the
candidate of the party after ratification by the national
convention”, the act specified.

The same procedure in the Electoral Act which is applicable
for the nomination of governorship candidates in the state
said that, “In the case of nominations to the position of
Governorship candidate, a political party shall, where they
intend to sponsor candidates: hold special congress in each
of the local government areas of the States with delegates
voting for each of the aspirants at the congress to be held
in designated centres on specified dates.

The aspirant with the highest number of votes at the end of
voting shall be declared the winner of the primaries of the
party and aspirant’s name shall be forwarded to the
Independent National Electoral Commission as the
candidate of the party, for the particular State.”
The PDP in its presidential guidelines has listed the
categories of members that would vote at the presidential
nomination primary election on December 6 which excludes
the political appointees, just as those expected to vote at
the December 6 ratification primary election include the
national chairman of PDP and all members of the National
Working Committee (NWC), the President and the Vice
President, all PDP members of the National Assembly, all
PDP Governors as well as all governorship candidates that
has emerged from the various congresses of November 29.

Other delegates to vote at the December 6 national
congress to ratify the President include, all PDP members of
the State Houses of Assembly, all members of the Board of
Trustees (BoT), all working committee members of the six
geo political zones, all the 36 states’ chairmen and their
secretaries, all state women and youth leaders, as well as all
party chairmen of the local government areas and one
national delegate elected from the 774 local governments.
Also on the list are all elected local government council
chairmen, former members of NWC, former deputy senate
president and deputy speakers of the House of
Representatives that are still members of the party.

So Gej is really serious about contesting in 2015? Nawao the guy get liver

Why is the National Executive committee of PDP afraid to organise a primary election, giving the chance to anyone who is ready to challenge the President for the tickect?

What has been happening to the internal democracy which PDP members claim to be the major reason why the party is better than APC?

Moreover, President Goodluck Jonathan hasn't declared he is contesting the 2015 election. Why is the NEC trying to kill the morale of those that have declared and trying to declare just to favor someone who hasn't declared?

Despite the unrelenting efforts of his minders and paid praise singers on all types of media, GEJ knows that leaving his fate to an open primary is a dangerous gamble. So to avoid stories that touch the heart, he codedly arranged this adoption rigmarole.
When all the aspirants have been properly cowed, GEJ will declare his interest for re-election and NOT BEFORE!

stamped

PDP knows that the only person that can fly its flag and give them victory or a chance of victory is GEJ. So its simple and short, I don't think there will even be voting at all. I hope Olisa Metuh is speaking the mind of everyone cos he may incur the wrath of GEJ with this one. I don't see anybody else in pdp that can win Buhari or especially Atiku without the presidency behind him and that's why they can't gamble with his candidacy that's if he declares.

The only reason behind GEJ's endorsement is the failure factor. Both the PDP NEC and GEJ himself knows he will fail if they allow for open contest among their aspirants at Eagle square. If the PDP are bragging that GEJ is the most credible person to leader Nigeria in 2015 irrespective of whom the opposition like the APC field for the election. Why are they afraid of conducting ordinary primary election in their own party? because if they sure that GEJ is credible and sale able, they should be afraid that he might lose at the primary.

size38:
The only reason behind GEJ's endorsement is the failure factor. Both the PDP NEC and GEJ himself knows he will fail if they allow for open contest among their aspirants at Eagle square. If the PDP are bragging that GEJ is the most credible person to leader Nigeria in 2015 irrespective of whom the opposition like the APC field for the election. Why are they afraid of conducting ordinary primary election in their own party? because if they sure that GEJ is credible and sale able, they should be afraid that he might lose at the primary.

Since you're very optimistic on APC victory, shouldn't you be more concerned on who flies the APC flag?. Meet the clueless one at the pools and stop ranting...

Tolexander:
Why is the National Executive committee of PDP afraid to organise a primary election, giving the chance to anyone who is ready to challenge the President for the tickect?

What has been happening to the internal democracy which PDP members claim to be the major reason why the party is better than APC?

Moreover, President Goodluck Jonathan hasn't declared he is contesting the 2015 election. Why is the NEC trying to kill the morale of those that have declared and trying to declare just to favor someone who hasn't declared?

This is the one billion Naira question.