The
Coming days that leads to the Governorship Primaries of the Peoples Democratic
Party PDP promises to be an interesting one especially in Rivers State not with
the avoidable controversies that has trailed its build up climaxing in the
ignoble decision of the South South Screening Committee sitting in Port Harcourt to disqualify proactive
members of the party on the basis of not being its members.
Thank God this questionable decision was eventually reversed
by the national leadership of the party at Abuja a day that also witnessed the
issuance of Clearance Certificate to President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the Presidential
Primaries of the party at the Wadata Plaza Abuja.
The fact that there was a mischievous attempt to asphyxiate
other candidates out of the party days leading to the primaries and few months
leading to the general elections raises strong questions as to how we are wont
to tolerate the impunity of a particular person in a party that is known to be
just in its activities especially under its present leadership at the center. I
recently saw a picture posted on a friend’s Facebook wall where Chief Dumo Lulu
Briggs afrontline gubernatorial aspirant from the riverine area which has not
been privileged to produce governor over the past tenures was hosted by the
state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP Bro. Felix Obuah after his
return from Abuja where he had gone to pick the Expression of interest and
nomination form of the party and was forced to observe based on the position of
the south south screening committee and considering
the proactive nature of the Chairman in fighting the APC, why he would have
hosted Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs in such pump and pageantry if he was not a member
of its party? I also know that the state Chairman of the PDP has an efficient
media structure that would have countered the publicity accorded the
publication but this did not come by even as an afterthought. I am also pained and
concerned that this same desperate clique would have tried to play on the
rationality of Mr. President by insinuating that people who honourably resigned
their appointments under his administration were not working for the interest
of the party rather for the opposition.
As flimsy as this decision has been made to be by the
National leadership of the party, the days ahead must be taken seriously by
every ardent of the party desirous of seeing it occupying the Brick House Port
Harcourt come 2015.
What is imperative for the party is to field a candidate
capable of unifying all segments of opinion in the party. The fact that the
Peoples Democratic Party has followership in the state is not in question. The party
does have appeal compared to the All Progressive Congress APC whose stock in
trade is to deceive Nigerians into believing they have a better package even if
by precipitating violence to prove their point. What the PDP currently lacks is
a complete structure that is bereft of the ultra ambition of a particular
candidate to create division and sink the party. When this tendency is
eliminated and a better qualified candidate that has appeal to the generality
of Rivers people is chosen, then the sky will be the limit for the party in
Rivers state.
Presently among all the candidates vying for the position in
Rivers state, Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs the immediate past Chairman of Federal
Medical Centre Owerri stands tall in comparison to others. Amongst all the candidates who I will be wrong
to say does not have the requisite credentials, Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs apart
from the requisite credentials has remained a loyal party man contributing to
the development of the party and staying put despite not emerging victorious in
previous primaries of the party. As a candidate of the PDP, he will be able to
easily synchronise between the youths and elders of the state without having to
ruffle feathers as the case is today under an administration that came under
the party’s platform but had to abandon it due to inclination to impunity. This
is a situation the party must endeavour to avoid not only in Rivers state but
in other states as well. It is interesting to quote a former governor of the
state Sir Celestine Omehia who made it explicit when he said in an interview
that “yes many of our people have indicated interest to run for different
political positions… but our interest for the party and the state must overrun
our personal interests”
President Goodluck Jonathan has done a lot to build upon the achievements
of his predecessor in bringing about sanity to the party. This zeal must be
keyed into by persons that have the same zeal, passion and mien. As we look
forward to seeing the mass majority of Rivers people vote him into power come
2015 we must not rest in our oars towards ensuring that we repossess our stolen
mandate in the state as well.
Barr. Kingsley Frank is of the Coalition of Democrats (CoD)
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