Views From Anambra State
When the Speaker, House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole was appointed to chair the PDP Anambra State Congress Committee, not a few believe he has been given a daunting task. The belief was informed by the ugly antecedents of Anambra politics since the return to democratic rule in May 1999. From Chinwoke Mbadinuju/Emeka Ofor […]
When the Speaker, House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole was appointed to chair the PDP Anambra State Congress Committee, not a few believe he has been given a daunting task. The belief was informed by the ugly antecedents of Anambra politics since the return to democratic rule in May 1999. From Chinwoke Mbadinuju/Emeka Ofor misgovernance to the macabre Chris Ngige/Chris Uba mafia rule replacement of governance to the historic less than a month tenure of Andy Uba, no state can rival Anambra in politics of the absurd and shameful in our current democratic dispensation. Furthermore, with 47 aspirants throwing their hats in the ring for the PDP governorship slot, it can be imagined that this is not the easiest of jobs at all.
But the tough nature of Bankole’s job was compounded when the ward primaries for the state congress expected to elect a governorship candidate was mired by allegations of violence, ballot box snatching and submission of a pre-prepared list of delegates without reference to actual elected delegates where election took place.
However, since Bankole accepted the position, it was clear from his own antecedents and often voiced stand on internal democracy, fairness and rule of laws that he was going to do his possible best to use the PDP Anambra State Congress to showcase a new face of PDP that practice the rule of law and internal democracy where votes of party members counts.
On getting to Awka on Thursday October 1, 2009 for the State Congress, Bankole met the PDP Anambra State chapter was on the boil over the existence of an Abuja delegate lists of Governor Gabriel Suswan and another list being worked on by the Alhaji Hassan Adamu, the Wakilin Adamawa led Primary Appeal Committee. At this point already, some candidates notably Chukwuma Soludo, Senator Annie Okonkwo and Senator Ihechukwu Obiora had suspended their participation in the congress in protest against the conduct of the ward primaries and the purportedly doctored list of delegates submitted by Suswan. Others were threatening mayhem should the congress hold with a disputed list.
Throughout the night of Thursday last week, Bankole and his committee composed of among others two governors, Danjuma Goje and Seidu Daikingari of Gombe and Kebbi State respectively were under pressure from those who want the disputed list to be used and those urging the Bankole committee to await the work of the Appeal Committee before proceeding.
In the spirit of due process, Bankole decided to await the report of the Appeal Committee as a guide on how to proceed and equally summoned all aspirants for a meeting for 12 midnight. He equally invited the media for a briefing on the modalities of holding the congress the next day, Friday. But alas this was not to be as a court injunction has been obtained restraining him and PDP among other parties from conducting the congress.
This did not however stop a joint press conference on Friday morning addressed by both Alhaji Adamu and Bankole. Alhaji Adamu briefed the press on the painstaking efforts of the committee to complaints arising from the ward primaries adding that all genuine complaints were rectified. He thereafter handed over the report of his committee to Bankole saying there is nowhere in the world that election is perfect.
Bankole on his part declared that in Anambra and elsewhere, not only will PDP do the right thing but it will be seen to be done in public adding that PDP is not afraid to take the right decisions in line with democratic tenets. And he announced that while he is ready to proceed with the congress based on the report of the appeal panel, alas, there is now a court injunction restraining him and the party from doing so.
And uncharacteristically of the PDP of yesteryears, Bankole decided to obey the court order which was only served by substituted service via the media. His words as reported in the dailies bear quoting in full: “Of course, there is a court injunction. I am the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Lawmaker of the Green Chamber of the National Assembly, we have governors here, ministers and other eminent Nigerians like Alhaji Hassan Adamu, Senators and Lawyers. We have PDP led by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua with emphasis on the rule of law. This panel will not disobey any court injunction, I say it again, and this panel will never disobey any court injunction. The rule of law is paramount”.
For this stand on due process and the rule of law, he has received many commendations from well meaning Anambra people in private and public. Mr. Ngozi Agudosi, a chieftain of PDP in Anambra speaking on behalf of some aspirants that had suspended their participation in the congress stated that “The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole should be commended for sticking to the rule of law and due process as preached by President Umaru Yar’Adua” adding that what he did averted “another mayhem and anarchy in Anambra State”.
For Bankole, the Anambra saga is yet another way of showing the way in doing the right thing in our national political life. It is indeed a generational statement to start a new way of doing things as we head towards 2011. He had successfully championed similar redemptive efforts in the case of unspent budgetary funds, the Jos Crisis, the 2008 successful Hajj operation where Nigeria for the first time in 20 years airlifted all its pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and back on schedule, and other national assignments he has been saddled with. The question now is: would he get the require support of the people to complete this assignment in Anambra once the court injunction is discharged? Or would his efforts again be undermined by reactionary forces of PDP? Only time will tell. But Bankole has done his bit of showing that due process, rule of law and internal democracy could be the order of the day in Nigeria.