Pdp convention: Will leopard change its spots?

But considering the fact that the party has been in power since the return to democratic governance in 1999, the success or otherwise of our democratic dispensation so far is measured largely by the successes of the implementation of the party’s manifestoes, programmes and policies.  Therefore, the party is not just a reflection of itself […]

But considering the fact that the party has been in power since the return to democratic governance in 1999, the success or otherwise of our democratic dispensation so far is measured largely by the successes of the implementation of the party’s manifestoes, programmes and policies.  Therefore, the party is not just a reflection of itself but also an expression of our current democratic set-up.
The PDP controls a majo-rity in terms of states and their governors as well as local government chairmen and councilors nationwide. It controls a majority of mem-bers in both the Senate and House of Representatives. On the aggregate, Nigeria has been running a PDP government, having produ-ced the country’s president consecutively in the past 14 years. Armed with these, the PDP prides itself as the biggest political party in Africa. This is understandable, given Nigeria’s status as Africa’s giant – the same reason why any patriotic Nigerian should be concerned, to a considerable extent, on how the party conducts its internal democracy.
Unfortunately, the party seems not to be getting it right in the past 14 years, and that is partly why we have had flawed elections generally, at the three tiers of government. We have had incidents where party stalwarts decree “no vacancy” in elective positions and instances where candidates are imposed on the electorate in a manner that suggests outright impunity. The result has always led to internal party squabbles, acrimony, cross carpeting and “do-or-die” campaigns that over charge the polity. I sincerely want to believe that the party hierarchy knows this and is ready to make amends.
Saturday’s special convention calls for serious concerns. Nigerians expect to see a paradigm shift from the uncouth practices of the past to a more civilized manner where known democratic norms are applied in the choice of its national offices and other party flag-bearers. We want to see a free and fair election of officers that conforms to the party’s constitution and one that engenders equity and fair-play.  Candidates should be allowed to vote according to their consciences. That is what democracy is all about. Incidentally, the party has chosen a rare technocrat and statesman, Senator Ken Nnamani, to lead the electoral committee.
Senator Nnamani has a date with history if he allows the basic tenets of democracy to apply on Saturday, 31 August 2013. It is commendable to note that Ken Nnamani is working in tandem with the International Republican Institute (IRI) in this direction. The IRI, in association with the USAID, recently organized a special training for members of the convention electoral committee on how best to manage Saturday’s affairs. This underscores the importance the PDP attaches to the convention. The committee is equally setting standards, insisting on relevant qualification and professionalism as benchmarks. Moreover, we are told that the electoral committee has acquired polling cabins that would give the voters the protection and secrecy of their votes.
As usual, signals emanating from the South East geopolitical zone is one that the electoral committee must not ignore. For instance, a group known as the PDP Convention Watchdog is already protesting against plans to impose the deposed PDP National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metu on the zone to pair up with Senator Kema Chikwe as the National Woman Leader. Besides, the League of South East Women also rose from a recent meeting in Enugu with a communiqué insisting unanimously, that the next Woman Leader of the PDP should come from Anambra State. According to the resolution of the 59th meeting of the PDP National Executive Committee, held on 29 February 2012, three positions were zoned to the South East. These include: the National Publicity Secretary, Deputy National Secretary and the National Women Leader. What this means is that any qualified candidate from this zone could aspire to any of these positions, irrespective of his state of origin. Therefore, in the spirit of equity and justice, such candidates should be allowed to test their popularity before the delegates.
The post of National Publicity Secretary of a party as big as the PDP, for instance, requires professionalism and not mediocrity. Image making is definitely not an all-comers business. The party has never had a professional manning its national publicity desk. But today, veteran journalist Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu is once again on the race, seeking to serve his party as the National Publicity Secretary, a position he has contested for severally but denied the chance even to taste his popularity before the delegates. The party may have had everything going for it in the past, but poor information management has consistently pitched it against Nigerians. The challenges ahead are enormous, as PDP has to contend with emerging parties with contending agenda. Let the delegates decide.

Ifeoha is a veteran journa-list, author and diplomat ([email protected])