2015 Election: Anenih seeks automatic PDP ticket for Jonathan, others
The PDP said it will resolve its present crisis.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the Peoples Democratic Party, Tony Anenih, has proposed an automatic second term ticket for incumbent president and governors who perform well in office, thus seeking to boycott the usual primaries.
This he said is to avoid the hassles that go with the party primaries, especially for executive positions.
Speaking at a dinner organised by President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday night, for the “PDP family” at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Mr. Anenih said the internal problem of the party must be urgently handled if Nigerians must take the party serious.
The proposal by Mr. Anenih, if accepted by the party, would mean that President Goodluck Jonathan would be unchallenged for the PDP presidential ticket in 2015.
Mr. Anenih is one of the most influential member of the PDP and holds one of its highest positions as BoT chairman. He is believed to have emerged BoT chairman based on Mr. Jonathan’s support.
His proposal must however be adopted by the parties structures including the National Working Committee, National Executive Committee, and Convention for it to become a rule.
Mr. Anenih added that the ongoing problems in the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, which has seen the emergence of two chairmen, both of whom are from the PDP, “is an embarrassing situation which must be urgently addressed.”
PDP won’t tolerate NGF crisis
Mr. Anenih also cautioned the PDP to solve its internal crisis or risk losing the support of Nigerians.
“I believe the challenges facing the party are temporary and at the end of the day we will come out stronger. But if we want to continue to enjoy the support of Nigerians; if we create tension in the country as a result of the problems in our party and expect Nigerians to continue to support and applaud us, it is not possible,” he said.
The Edo politician also said the party would not tolerate the NGF crisis.
“As party leaders, we must commit ourselves to repositioning the party. It is an embarrassment what is happening in the Nigeria Governors Forum. It is an embarrassing situation which must be urgently addressed. The leadership of the party will not tolerate a situation where it will preside over a divided house.
“We need a strong party. If a party is strong and there is discipline and those who work hard are rewarded, our government will be stronger. Our problems are not insurmountable. After the tour of the board of trustees, we will collate the opinions and make appropriate recommendations to the president as leader of the party. But what I would like to say is that the president and governors who are seeking their second term should be given automatic tickets to contest the second term,” he said.
The Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, who announced that those present at the event were the “Happy, contended” family of PDP under his watch, urged members of the party to imbibe the culture of discipline as the party can only grow “if we imbibe the culture of discipline, justice and equity”.
Mark seeks automatic ticket too
In his remark, the Senate President, David Mark, also called for members of the parliament to be given automatic ticket in order to strengthen the parliament.
He also urged members not to take the opposition for granted saying “if they are not there that means we are not working, they want to be where we are because we are doing well”.
In his remarks, President Goodluck Jonathan thanked members of the party for their commitment adding that there was no need for members of the party to panic because re-groupings by opposition parties.
“If the opposition is holding meetings everyday, then you should smile. If the opposition starts applauding the president, there is problem. PDP will endure because it was not built based on conspiracy against anybody. We believe in this country,” he said.
He added that the disagreements within the PDP was not abnormal for such a large family, as there are bound to be disagreements which would be resolved. He also said the idea of the family dinner had been thought up by himself and the party chairman who had seen it as an opportunity for party members to interact and exchange ideas.
Speaking on the presentation of his scorecard the previous day, the President said he had just been told that the National Assembly was already working on a bill that will ensure that the president presents a scorecard every July.
The event was attended by Governors of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Delta, Ebonyi, Abia, Bayelsa, Kogi, Taraba, Enugu and Deputy governors of Niger and Benue State.
Other attendees include Mr. Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; Mr. Anenih; Mr. Tukur; the PDP state chairmen as well as other PDP stalwarts.
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