Convention: PDP shuts out ministers, govs’ aides

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has removed ministers, ambassadors and presidential advisers as automatic members of the party’s congresses and convention.

Also removed are the state commissioners, advisers to governors, chairmen and members of federal and state boards and parastatals.

This was contained in a memo sent to members of the National Executive Committee of the party by its Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje.

In the memo with reference number NEC/57/100/2011 and distributed to NEC members on Monday, February 13, 2012, Baraje stated that the action was taken by the Constitutional Review Committee of the party saddled with the responsibility of amending the constitution.

Deliberations on the review will take place at the NEC’s meeting scheduled for Thursday.

The memo stated that the party’s constitution, which hitherto made these public officers automatic delegates to congresses and convention, was in conflict with the Electoral Act 2010.

Baraje said, “Provisions of the constitution which make ministers, ambassadors, presidential advisers, state commissioners, advisers to governors, chairmen and members of federal and state boards and parastatals members of the various congresses and convention have been recommended for deletion to bring them in line with the Electoral Act.”

Before now, many aspirants had complained that the current format was in favour of incumbent president and governors as their aides form almost half of the delegates to the convention and congresses.

In fact, the former National Chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, had vowed to amend the party’s constitution, which he said conferred undue advantage on the incumbent governors.

The party, according to Baraje’s memo, also made provisions for the creation of additional organs at local government, senatorial district and state levels “to enhance the administration of the party at those levels, especially with regard to conflict resolution.”

The party also included a provision for the inclusiveness of one member of House of Representatives from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in NEC.

Also included in NEC is “one senator representing each of the 36 states and the FCT.” It, however, added a caveat that “a state that has already produced a principal officer of any of the chambers shall not be entitled to additional representation.”

The Constitution Review Committee of the party is however going to meet in Abuja on Monday to take a final stand on this and also consider the request by the governors to be allowed to become members of the party’s national caucus.

The governors had insisted that they must be made members of the caucus if members of the National Assembly would also be allowed to sit at NEC.

On the mode of nomination of the party’s presidential candidate for subsequent election, the party said it shall be through indirect mode of primary.

Section 87 of the Electoral Act stipulates that a political party seeking to nominate candidates for election must do so either by direct or indirect primaries.

The party did not use this mode of primary in picking President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010. Though it mulled the idea, pressure was later mounted on the leadership of the party to drop it.

-Punchwp_posts