—-Oath Taking as Tool for Lobbying
The search for the governorship flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) in the 2015 Governorship election came to its climax on the 8th December when the Governorship primary election took place at Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri. It was an event in which the PDP earned the applause and encomiums of a cross section of the populace for the fair and transparent manner in which the exercise was executed. At the end of the exercise , the citizenry heaved a sigh of relief and thanked Providence that the usual crises and social dislocation that marred such events in the past were totally non-existent. For the first time in the history of the PDP, contestants in a Guber primary election came out looking upbeat as they congratulated one another on the high sense of maturity and decorum manifested by both the contestants and the officials who supervised the event. There was not even a voice of dissent from any section of the sea of humanity that thronged the venue of the epic event. Yes, for the first time, the rank and file of the PDP worked as members of a family. In my viewpoint which was written a few hours after the primary election, I expressed a pleasant shock that the PDP could pull such a rare feat in the midst of the premonition and worst case scenario which most analysts had predicted on the primary election. Please read my viewpoint which was published on page 45 of THE Nation newspaper of Sunday December, 14th, 2014.
At end of the energy-sapping contest during which the ballots cast were collated and counted in the full glare of the crowd, the chairman, Imo State Governorship Primaries Committee, HON. Tengu Tsegba, announced the result. The result showed that three contestants made a powerful showing in their frantic bid to capture the diadem. The three contestants include the immediate past Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim who polled 213 votes; Senator Ifeanyi Ararume polled 336 votes while the eventual winner and incumbent Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives(HoR), Hon.Emeka Ihedioha, polled a total of 346 votes to emerge the candidate of the PDP in the 2015 governorship election. As stated above, the close result is a testimony to the transparency and fairness that pervaded the entire exercise. Contrary to the PDP of old when the announcement of a winner would have culminated in panic and pandemonium in the arena, the entire venue remained peaceful and tranquil. This evinces that the PDP has learnt its lessons and has resolved to put the decadent woe begotten years behind them in order to fight as a monolith in the arduous task of snatching power from Governor Okorocha-their tormentor-in-Chief.
It is painful to report that in spite of the accolades on the organizers and contestants on a great primary election which held the previous day, the morning after the election was marked with snide comments and unsolicited text messages which made negative innuendoes that cast a pall of doubt on the integrity of the primary election and the social media buzzed with grapevine reports that Senator Ararume’s Group had rejected the result of the primary . Such indecorous remarks were dismissed with alacrity by those who witnessed the primary election of the previous day. What first started as a mere rumour suddenly took a life of its own when two politicians appeared on the Phone-in programme of a local Radio station in Owerri, Hot FM 99.5 channel, in the morning of 10th December. They came to defend the transparency of the primary election and to debunk the insinuations making the round that the primary election which was applauded nationwide was fraudulent. On the next morning, another pro-Ararume group came to the same radio channel to assert that the result of the primary election was flawed. It was at this time that it became evident that the transparent and fair primary election which was applauded by even the contestants the previous day had run into a turbulent weather. The witch which had always bewitched the PDP governorship efforts had cried again. The pertinent question now is: “Is PDP a jinxed party in the governorship election?”
It is my advice that the various stakeholders in the state should take appropriate steps to ensure that steps are taken to reconcile the parties. In this vein, I wish to appeal to some sections of the society to rally round the PDP and broker peace in the interest of our collective good.
To The Contestants: I wish to briefly appeal to the contestants to put the past behind them and work together as a family with the sole objective of winning the governorship election. It is in their collective interest that their party man is elected governor than for the party to be in the political wilderness for another four years. I am also aware that virtually all the contestants have benefitted immensely in diverse ways from their membership of the PDP,even though the Party is not controlling the state. Some of them are big time contractors to the Federal Government’s Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MADs) while others are members and chairmen of Federal Boards. Some have used their vantage positions in the PDP to secure mouthwatering Federal Government jobs and placements for their kith and kin. I am also aware that the hospitality industry in Imo State is in firm control of politicians most of who are of PDP extraction. It is entirely left for each of these contestants to decide whether it is in their interest to remain in the party and work for its success in the next election or to quit /decamp to any of the over 20 political parties. I wish them luck as they decide which side their bread is buttered.
To The PDP Leadership:I feel reluctant to say that the leadership of the PDP played a giant role in the ongoing political rumpus that that has trailed a primary election which was acclaimed as uniquely transparent. How do I mean? The present rumpus in the primary election would have been averted if the leadership of the PDP at the local and national levels had the courage to enforce the provisions of the “Constitution OF THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY(2014 AS AMENDED)”. Unfortunately, the PDP is bedeviled by a leadership that appears to have weak biceps, a top management that is afraid to take actions in a manner that is bereft of passion and emotion. Records show that Chapter 8 S.9 Page 56 of the Constitution of PDP stipulates thus: “There shall be a minimum of two year membership span for a member to be eligible to stand for election into any public office, unless the appropriate executive committee gives a waiver or rules to the contrary”. If the policy makers in the PDP had complied strictly with this very simple provision, the present stalemate would have been averted. A situation where a politician abandons the PDP for several years only to rush back at the eleventh hour to contest a high profile elective office as the Governorship must be reviewed. This is a recipe for interminable intra-party dispute and recriminations in the PDP. A waiver may be necessary in some states where some aspirants do not rise to the desired level. In Imo state, there is no cogent and verifiable reason to grant a political prodigal son a waiver for such a high office as that of the governor. This is because there is already a surfeit of men of impeccable and unimpeachable integrity who are already in the list. Even, the Biblical Prodigal son did not ask to displace others when he repented and returned to his father. So, why bring in a Johnny Just Come to be a fly in the ointment? What are the special qualities of these fly by night aspirants who abandoned the PDP all these years thus causing the humiliation of the party in two consecutive governorship elections in Imo State. If they were so popular and wonderful, why did they not use their fabled influence and wealth to achieve their governorship agenda all these years in those other parties.? If every other person had abandoned the PDP as they did, would there have been a PDP for them to return to?. So, by giving this group of political demagogues and desperados unhindered access to the governorship slot, the leadership of the PDP stands condemned. The founding fathers of the PDP envisaged this scenario hence in the maiden constitution of the PDP they made it clear that the result of the Primary election was not automatically binding on the PDP.That section of the PDP constitution reads thus: “Notwithstanding the provision of these guidelines and many other rules and regulations laid down by the party, the decision of the National Executive Committee(NEC) as recommended by the National Working Committee(NWC)shall be final and binding on all aspirants, officials and organs of the party with respect to the eligibility or otherwise of an aspirant”-Please read The Guardian newspaper of January 4,2007, back page. Unfortunately, the present leaders of the party – perhaps for reasons of Stomach Infrastructure or for inexplicable reasons, unilaterally set aside these noble checks and balances which it voluntarily set out for itself thus encouraging the present avoidable storm in a tea cup after what was acclaimed as a great primary election. Even in the United States, there is a school of Thought which describes the Primary election as mere “ Beauty Contest” which does not require the party to adhere to the result in choosing its candidates. Such critics of the primary election point to the high cost of primary campaign as well as the fact that the delegate selection is not a representative sample of the electorate. They refer to primary election as a bazaar where a tiny group of mercenary carpetbaggers gang up to foist a candidate on the larger community in exchange for filthy lucre. Since Primary election has become a Bermuda Triangle in the PDP, there is a need to set up a Think Tank to carry out a surgical operation on both the modus operandi and modus vivendi of this rancorous exercise in order to guard against a reoccurrence. The PDP leadership should also investigate the allegation of the administration of oaths on the delegates by some demonic aspirant/s.
As non-members of the PDP, we don’t have the details but the PDP which knows the delegates is in a position to investigate the veracity of this allegation and to ensure that whosoever is implicated in this show of shame is eliminated from the race. It will be suicidal for the PDP to manifest abysmal indifference to the sensitivities of the larger society(most of who are Christians) on this issue which borders on membership of secret societies. It is pertinent to emphasize that Section 182(1)(h) of the Constitution (as amended )stipulates:“ No person shall be qualified for election to the office of governor if(g) he is a member of a secret society; (i) if he has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission…..”.Any politician who can subject those he wants to rule to the rigour of being indirectly initiated into a secret cult is a menace to the society. Such a governor will also initiate the entire Imo State to the shrine where he worships. The electorate is watching this scenario with heightened interest and in the fullness of time, we shall scrupulously investigate this matter and report back to the electorate.
Memo to the Electorate: The electorate is advised not to allow themselves to be used as pawns on the chessboard of politics of acrimony by our politicians. They are not worth dying for, more so, since their own children are in their comfort zones; in fact, some of their family members do not even live in the country. We must resist the ongoing stratagems by a section of the PDP governorship aspirants who have been using self-help to coerce the PDP leadership to truncate the result of a transparent and fair primary which held on December 8th, 2014 in which a clear winner emerged. Perhaps, there is a need to advice the governorship aspirants to give peace a chance while their grouse is investigated within the party. However, we will be surprised if the PDP succumbs to the ongoing pressure to reject the result of that event. This is because we were all in the stadium when the primary election was conducted in a free and fair manner and nobody complained of being shortchanged. Those who go to equity must not only go with clean hands, they must be vigilant and awake as equity is not for the indolent.
To our religious leaders. I conclude this viewpoint with an appeal to our religious leaders, especially the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN) to assert its relevance in the political life of the State of Imo. Of special mention are the leaders of The Church, i.e. The Catholic Church, and The Anglican Communion whose members came in the first three positions in the result of that Primary election. All three are Knights of the two Faith -based institutions. So, can they intervene and advice their members to give peace a chance so that we can enjoy tranquility in the political ambience? Again, we expect our Bishops and CAN to investigate the allegation that some demonic aspirants embarked on the voodoo practice of the administration of demonic oaths on the hapless and beleaguered delegates in order to coerce them to vote against their conscience. Yes, we have often applauded the finger-wagging and lectern thumping jeremiads and outbursts of our ecclesiastical leaders against the political class, but today we ask them to go the extra mile and expose any of these aspirants who used voodoo and oaths on the unsuspecting delegates. The time to act is now.
It is sad and lamentable that even though some politician was expelled from the a political party a while ago on the grounds that he dragged the party to court without exhausting the internal conflict resolution scheme within the party, we are still hearing that the witch is crying again. This shows the desperation of some politicians to hang onto power, even when they have become stinking wealthy and can emulate the like of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Femi Otedola, Pascal Dozie and others in channeling their energy into the industry and business realm – an area where they have the Midas touch. It is for the like of such desperate politicians in the PDP that the revered scholar and poet, George Santayana, said: ”Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
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John Mgbe
johnmgbe@yahoo.com
