A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board
of Trustees, Chief Bode George, says the party’s tradition of adopting
consensus candidates does not prevent other aspirants from contesting elective
positions.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today
on Tuesday, George explained that while consensus arrangements are encouraged
to promote unity, they are not binding on party members.
“This has been part of the practice in the PDP. The
fact that some leaders converge to support one person as a consensus candidate
doesn’t mean others cannot compete,” he said.
George stressed that consensus is merely an internal
agreement to make the process smoother, not a restriction on democratic
participation.
“You want to make the process seamless and
non-combative. We’ve done this before, but the party has never told anyone they
cannot contest. Governor Sule Lamido has the right to compete,” he added.
‘No One Owns the PDP’
The PDP chieftain, however, cautioned members against
taking internal disputes to court without first exploring the party’s
conflict-resolution mechanisms.
“This party is not owned by any individual. Before
taking the party to court, you must exhaust the internal dynamics of the party.
If you fail to do that, you can be punished,” he warned.
George clarified that while Lamido was free to vie for
the position of national chairman, resorting to litigation could attract
disciplinary sanctions.
“Let him go, nobody will deny him any form, and he can
compete. The final decision will be by delegates attending the convention, and
it will be done openly,” he said.
Lamido Threatens Legal Action
His remarks come a day after former Jigawa State
Governor Sule Lamido threatened legal action against the PDP if denied
access to the nomination form for the national chairmanship position ahead of
the party’s upcoming national convention.
Lamido had visited the PDP national secretariat in
Abuja on Monday to obtain the form but was told by National Secretary
Senator Samuel Anyanwu and National Organising Secretary Umar Bature
that they had no information on its availability.
“I went to the office of the National Organising
Secretary, which is normally where the forms are sold, and the office was
locked. I met him with the party’s Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and both
of them said they had no idea where the forms were or even how they were
printed,” Lamido told journalists.
Reports later suggested that the forms were under the
control of Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who chairs the party’s
National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC).
Comments:
Leave a Reply