Consensus and buying of forms for aspirants seem to be the new name of the game as the country heads towards the 2015 general elections. JONATHAN NDA -ISAIAH writes on this new trend.
In love and war, all is fair according to a popular saying; no matter the tactics deployed in use, the end justifies the means.
Politics is akin to war as politicians lay out their strategies to get their parties’ tickets and subsequently win elections next year. The new trend seems is the avoiding party primaries and playing the consensus card by most of the parties.
The consensus game
Consensus is defined as a group process where the input of everyone is carefully considered and an outcome is crafted that best meets the needs of the group; and according to Wikipedia, Consensus is the community resolution when opposing parties set aside their differences and agree on a statement that is agreeable to all, even if only barely. Political parties have been using the consensus arrangement to adopt their candidates lately.
The Peoples Democratic Party in a consensus arrangement, adopted President Goodluck Jonathan as their sole presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections while in some states, the move to adopt a consensus candidate is causing rift and division in the party.
In Enugu State, Governor Chime endorsed Hon Ifeanyi Ugwaunyi as the consensus candidate for the gubernatorial elections in the state. The endorsement has, however, raised some dust among the major stakeholders in the state. Notably, Senator Ayogu Eze who is nursing the ambition to govern the state in 2015 rejected the endorsement of Ugwanyi.
The senator said at a media conference in Abuja, that he remained the candidate to beat in the race in 2015, adding that there was no question of any purported endorsement.
Senator Eze insisted that members of the party were allegedly railroaded into a meeting at the Enugu State Governor’s Lodge on September 26, with a pre-arranged endorsement agenda, adding that he was not a party to the endorsement, adding that he would contest next year’s governorship election on the platform of the PDP.
He said; “I’ve been inundated by calls and personal visits by my supporters, who have expressed worry and outrage at newspaper reports, purporting that a consensus candidate had been anointed for Enugu State’s 2015 governorship election.
“My supporters are particularly worried by the aspect of the story claiming that I have stepped down for the said anointed candidate.
“I wish to state clearly and unambiguously that I have not and will not step down for any anointed candidate.
“I am still in the race for the Enugu Lion Building in 2015.
The crisis in the state is threatening to tear Enugu PDP apart as some of the aspirants are threatening to dump the party and defect to the opposition party in the state.
The case is same in Ebonyi state where the governor, Martin Elechi led a caucus of the PDP to endorse former health minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu as the governorship candidate of the PDP.
The opposition party, the All Progressives Congress ( APC) is not left out in the consensus game as there are plans to adopt a consensus candidate for their presidential ticket. The move to adopt a consensus candidate is not going down well with some of the presidential aspirants.
Presidential aspirant under the APC Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said he was not prepared for a consensus in picking the party’s candidate for next year’s elections.
Another presidential candidate under the APC Sam Nda-Isaiah echoed the same sentiment and kicked against the proposal to adopt a consensus candidate. In an interview with a national daily, he said : “We have to be clear about the reality on ground. If you look at President Jonathan, the question to ask is who would beat him among all of us. That’s the first question that needs to be answered. My understanding of who a consensus candidate is, is someone we all accept. And I also understand that the governors want to try that first. If that fails, they would then consider an election.”
“The best way to go is a free, fair and transparent election through a secret ballot. To do otherwise is counterproductive. My advice to them is to allow for a free and fair poll. I can’t see how I would step down for someone considering the amount of work we have done.
“We all know the work we are doing. We have different strategies but we all know the delegates and the job to be done. So let there be an election. No need for this consensus talks and I’m not even going to split hairs on it,” he said.
However, General Muhammadu Buhari is insisting on a consensus arrangement for the APC as LEADERSHIP checks reveals that if that party decides to go the consensus way, he will be chosen as the consensus candidate
Buhari in a statement by his campaign organisation warned that party primary being planned by the APC would not produce the most qualified person as the party’s flag-bear, because money bags within the party may buy their way.
He said:“After a detailed consideration of the Electoral Act, the APC constitution and other relevant laws relating to the emergence of a presidential candidate from a political party, we have come to the conclusion that consensus is the most viable, cost effective and unifying option available to the (APC).
“As an opposition political party that has promised to reduce corruption in Nigeria to its barest minimum, it will be in good faith to avoid an indirect primary election, which will cost so much money and even lead to financial inducement by some who still believe in “money politics” against credibility and popularity.
“In the same manner, an indirect primary will give the ruling political party an opportunity to infiltrate the All Progressive Congress by influencing delegates with money and planting moles within the delegates to influence who emerges as the presidential candidate of APC.
“This is because they know the candidate to beat in APC and they will do all within their reach to make sure that such candidate does not emerge as an APC presidential candidate.
“We also believe that the bitterness, rancour and disaffection that may arise from the contest will weaken the (APC) and give the (PDP) and undue advantage ahead of the 2015 presidential election.
He also maintained that a consensual arrangement as stipulated in Article 20 of APC Constitution and Section 87 (6) of the Electoral Act is surely the best option available for the All Progressive Congress APC.
“This will save the APC of unnecessary litigations, rancor and strife that accompanies presidential primaries.
“If the People Democratic Party with all the resources available to them and the power of incumbency is working towards a consensual arrangement by adopting Goodluck Jonathan, it will be wholly unwise and unintelligent for an opposition political party to want to sell the dangerous region,” he said.
However, Kano State governor and presidential aspirant, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has called for a consensus arrangement to choose the party’s presidential candidate.
He stated that the APC was ready to either choose its presidential candidate through a consensus arrangement or primary election. While he personally supported the former, he, however, noted that the latter was good for the party
According to the Kano governor, “People are worried and very much concerned about the issue of primary elections. Let me tell you that our constitution has provided for consensus; it has also provided for elections.
“And for those of us who came from the PDP, we know the advantages and disadvantages of primary elections, but if you look at it critically from 1999 to 2011, every election year, PDP was having primary elections even when we had sitting president. In 2003 and 2011, we had primary elections, but all other parties were not doing primary elections in the actual sense of it. believe primary election is also good for the party.”
Buying Forms For Aspirants
In a country where the average Nigerian lives on less than a dollar a day, the trend of people contributing money for aspirants to pick nomination forms is already becoming a norm.
While General Muhammadu Buhari had to take a loan to purchase his nomination form, President Jonathan had an excess of N100m donated to him by different stakeholders to enable him purchase his form.
According to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, forty four individuals and groups reportedly contributed N100.5m towards the payment of the form.
In a similar vein, president of the senate, Senator David Mark has accepted the 2015 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination form from his Benue South senatorial constituents of the state to return to the Senate next year.
The nine local government council chairmen in Benue South Senatorial zone purchased the party nomination form in Makurdi, the State capital, urging Senator Mark to return to the Senate unchallenged.
Not wanting to be left out out of the game, the chairmen of the seven council areas that make up Kogi West senatorial district and other PDP stakeholders, bought nomination form for Senator Smart Adeyemi to go for his third term in Senate
The council chairmen said they had to tax themselves to obtain the intent and nomination forms for Senator Adeyemi because they believe in him.
Leadership
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