Amidst thinking from many stakeholders that North-East and South-East geo-political zones that have had the shortest stints at the Presidency, should be given special consideration, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) panel has thrown open the 2023 presidential ticket.
The governor of Bauchi state and Chairman, PDP 2019 election review committee, Bala Mohammed, gave this recommendation on Wednesday while submitting the report of the committee to the party leadership.
The Governor said: “In line with certain unwritten conventions of the nation’s history, many people think that, for fairness and equity, the North East and South East geo-political zones that have had the shortest stints at the Presidency, should be given special consideration, in choosing the presidential flagbearer of the party, for the 2023 elections.
“While we admit that this is a strong argument, we should not lose sight of the fact that Nigeria is endowed with many capable and very experienced leaders in every part of the country. Moreover, the exigencies of the moment demand that nothing should be compromised in choosing the leader, with the attributes to disentangle the country from the present quagmire.
“Therefore, we think that every Nigerian, from every part of the country, should be given the opportunity to choose the best candidate, through a credible primary election; as a way of institutionalising a meritbased leadership recruitment process, for the country.”
The committee also recommended that the party should actively encourage the current reform by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make it truly independent and to be able to conduct elections devoid of the coercive apparatus of the state, underhand manipulations and outright intimidation of voters.
He said that the military should be insulated from the conduct of elections as their presence breeds intimidation and questions the integrity of the process.
“Above all, it denies some of the candidates the level playing field that is the singular barometer for ascertaining the wishes of the people. Similarly, the Police should be made to be more impartial in the supervision of elections,” he said.
Pushing for a review and endorsement of the 2014 Constitutional Conference Report or for a new constitutional conference to be organised, the panel suggested that the present constitutional arrangement is grossly inadequate to contend with changing democratic and demographic challenges.
“The endemic frictions in inter-governmental relations, especially between the states and the federal government, suggest that the present constitutional arrangement is grossly inadequate to contend with changing democratic and demographic challenges.
“Our party must therefore push for either a review and endorsement of the 2014 Constitutional Conference Report or for a new constitutional conference to be organised. In short, the party should advocate for genuine restructuring that fosters decentralisation, engenders national unity, guarantees security of lives and properties of all Nigerians no matter where they reside in the country and which promotes economic prosperity and the overall well-being of all our people,” Mohammed said.
In his speech, the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus said that the Bala Mohammed Committee’s report will form the bedrock of the party’s plan ahead of 2023 general elections.
He said: “I have no doubt in my mind that your report will form the bedrock of our party’s plan ahead of 2023 general elections. The National Working Committee (NWC) is going to study and analyze your report meticulously and come up with a position that will be beneficial to the party.
“The PDP is putting no stone unturned to ensure it regains federal power and this report is going to be the take off point and keystone to our subsequent actions ahead of 2023.”
Relying on the recommendations of this report, the NWC, according to Secondus will work with think tanks, consultants and all critical stakeholders of the Party to enhance the new PDP narratives that will help address the yawning absence of leadership in the country.
“We will continue to build the party along the line of the recommendations with a view to cultivating wide support base with utmost urgency towards 2023,” he said.
Urging President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to embark on electoral reform, the PDP National Chairman said, “we urge President Muhammadu Buhari and his APC administration to embark on immediate electoral reform that will ensure free, fair and transparent elections in the country and put Nigeria in parity with other developed democracies in the world.
“Having failed roundly in the delivery of any dividend to Nigerian people, and having brought the country to a status of a failed nation with an unprecedented collapse of all structures, APC knows as a fact that Nigerians would not want to do anything with them again.
“As a result, they are putting all studs on the way to conducting credible elections. But we need to warn that the only thing keeping this country alive today is the fact that APC will be history by 2023. They are aware of this reality and they are trying to use their usual propaganda to create a different image of themselves, but Nigeria knows better and cannot be fooled again.”
