Jonathan May Skip Party’s Primaries In 2015 Race

There are indications that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party may, after all do away with its age long tradition of conducting primaries for all elective positions and, instead; endorse the incumbent president and incumbent governors seeking re-election as its flag bearers in the forthcoming 2015 elections. The chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, gave the hint when he spoke late Thursday night at a forum tagged PDP Family Dinner held for the party stalwarts at the Banquet Hall of the State Hose, Abuja. But in a swift reaction, the Arewa Consultative Forum said it would amount to a mockery of democracy if the ruling party decides not to conduct primaries for some elective positions for the 2015 polls. According to Anenih, sharp divisions over the outcome of primaries in the past have created serious problem for the party and its members. Big wigs of the PDP had converged in Abuja to wine and dine in an attempt to revive the party, which in recent times have been battling with internal wrangling. Seeking the legitimisation of his opinion on the jettisoning of primaries, the BOT Chair said the party must evolve a new system of producing "our flag bearers that will preserve our unity and the President and governors seeking second term should be given automatic tickets." Anenih also told participants that the current situation whereby two of the party members are laying claims to the leadership of the Nigerian Governors Forum was unacceptable and must be addressed urgently. Anenih, who said the survival of the party hung on the balance, noted: "Having two chairmen in the Nigerian Governors Forum and both of them are PDP members is embarrassing and must be addressed. We cannot preside over a divided house and I urged the PDP leadership to step in and address the situation." But the chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, followed a different path by openly declaring that Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau was the new chairman of the NGF. Jang later led 14 of the governors to a meeting with President Jonathan yesterday morning. Jang, who insisted that he was the legitimate chairman of the NGF, told journalists after the Friday meeting that the governors met the president to felicitate with him on his achievements after two years in office and discussed the security challenges in the country. President Goodluck Jonathan, who spoke last at the dinner, in the early hours of yesterday, also posited that controversies in politics was a healthy development that strengthen affiliations, stressing that criticism of the ruling party by the opposition political parties should not cause it any worry. The president said: "if opposition keeps holding meeting then you should smile; if they don't you should be uncomfortable. If the opposition abuses the President you should sleep well; if they don't you should be worried. "PDP is not built on the platform of conspiracy. We don't believe in conspiracy. We must continue to unite. Sometimes family members disagree; why we continue to win at elections is because we have a way of settling our differences at the 11th hour. We must continue to work together and resolve our differences; then we will continue to win elections." The spokesman of the ACF, Anthony Sani, said the proposal by the PDP to give incumbents automatic tickets in 2015 would be against the Electoral Act, which prescribes internal democracy in the political parties. According to him, the Act prescribes that even if there is only one candidate for a position, the members of the party must vote "yes or no".