Political Briefs
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HALIRU Mohammed, acting chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is on the mend. Barely a year after he moved a motion for the adoption of former President Goodluck Jonathan as sole candidate of his party’s presidential candidate for the 2015 election, Mohammed on Wednesday, August 19, admitted that the decision was part of the problems that finally destroyed the party’s chances at last general elections. In a press statement issued in Abuja and signed by Emeka Nwapa, his special assistant on media, Mohammed expressed regrets over the violation of the PDP’s zoning formula in 2011, which was the genesis of the crisis in the party.
He said the violation of the party’s policy on rotation of power and zoning formula could be attributed to the rapid decline in the fortunes of the party.
Mohammed, who noted that the shortcoming led to widespread crisis of confidence in the party, said that the zoning policy was a major attraction to the party, which offers all members equity, justice and a sense of belonging. He said that the shameful defeat in the last presidential election was the sad price the party had to pay for jettisoning its policy of rotation and zoning.
He said: “When the founding fathers formed the party in 1998, they established the principle of justice and equity whereby power resided with the people, who could decide who became what at any point in time. But overtime, the party swerved away and breached the principle thereby disrupting its internal democracy. When in 2011 the party abandoned its zoning formula, the party dealt on itself a major blow because that action served the first notice that it had disconnected with the masses. So we must go back to the culture of zoning and rotation of offices.
“The PDP remains the only true national party in the country with its flag in all nooks and crannies whose members are assured that they can always aspire to any available position as long as zoning and rotation hold sway as a cardinal policy of the party.”
The BoT chairman also called on the party members to shun moneybags and accord more respect to the PDP founding fathers and leaders. He argued: “in the recent years, many of our leaders, elders and founding fathers have been abandoned in spite of their abiding interest in the party. Some have left, some chose to remain but are either inactive, unconcerned or indifferent because nobody has bothered to look for them. This is not acceptable. If there is any time we need them for advice and counsel, it is now.”
Mohammed’s statement was a departure from the event of September 17, 2014 when he moved the motion for the adoption of Jonathan as party’s presidential candidate. The occasion was at the meeting of the PDP national executive committee, NEC, when Mohammed said that there was no reason to change a winning formula, arguing that the former president had performed well enough to merit a second term.
“In PDP, we have a tradition of queuing up behind our leaders. President Jonathan has performed creditably well as attested to by all the organs of the party.
‘‘Therefore, for the good of Nigeria and for the good work that the PDP is doing for the country, I move that the NEC endorses the candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s candidate in the 2015 election,” Mohammed had said.
Jim Nwobodo, former governor of the old Anambra State, who seconded the motion, also said the Jonathan team had done well and deserved a second term. The motion received an overwhelming affirmative voice vote.
— Aug 24, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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