Charles Ajunwa
24 February 2008
opinion
Lagos — It is now less than two weeks to the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) national convention slated for March 8, 2008 at Abuja. The convention is expected to produce the party's national chairman and other key officers. The chairman of the party's Convention Electoral Committee, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, shortly after the inauguration of his 39-man committee in Abuja by the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, vowed that he would not allow people that have vested interests in the outcome of the convention to manipulate the system. The former minister of Finance strongly affirmed that the principles of transparency and accountability would be applied in the whole election process, which according to him will give all the contestants a level playing field to participate in the election.
According to Ciroma: "There won't be any manipulation at all. Nobody will be allowed to interfere with our work. We will conduct the convention in a way that will satisfy both winners and losers. We will be independent and will only do what is right. The winners will know they have won and the losers will know they have lost. We will make sure that nobody complains."
While recalling that election matters have been sometimes controversial in the PDP and country at large, he pledged that his committee would hold an election that will be acceptable to all, both winners and losers. "Once there are transparency and accountability, I am sure there will be no complaint," he reasoned.
Ciroma's pronouncements came after Ali had assured the members of his committee that everything would be put in place to ensure that all elections conform to the highest standards of democracy.
Ali had gone further to disclose that the election materials had been secured at the Central Bank vaults. According to him, the voting papers have been manufactured by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC). "They are now in the Central Bank of Nigeria. I have not seen them. But I vetted them. They are in 60 leaves in a booklet. They have security markings. It's like our currency. So, any attempt by anybody to attempt to forge it cannot work," he claimed.
He also explained that election to all the party's offices will be by the open-secret ballot system, adding "that delegates shall indicate their preferred candidate on approved ballot papers, in secret, but cast them in the open, that is, into transparent boxes which will be displayed conspicuously at all the designated venues. Everything will be put in place to ensure that all our elections conform to the highest standard of democracy," Ali announced.
Apparently acting on his committee's supposed mandate, Mallam Ciroma, at the committee's first meeting on Tuesday last week, at the Legacy House in Abuja, announced the setting up of seven sub-committees. The sub-panels are those responsible for screening/voting, accreditation, publicity, venue/security and contact and management, to enhance operations of the committee.
Indications have emerged that the newly created sub-committees may be overlapping with previous ones set up by the out-going National Working Committee (NWC). The newly created sub-committees were alleged to be parallel to those that had been raised by the national leadership of the party. Sources said the action of the Ciroma committee did not go down well with the Ali-led leadership.
Ali, who had on February 13, this year purportedly briefed Ciroma on the roles expected of him at the March convention, is allegedly angered with the constitution of the seven sub-committees by Ciroma since similar sub-committees had been constituted by the organising committee of the convention led by the Deputy National chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George.
Speaking on this development, George reasoned that electoral committee is different from organizing committee even as he acknowledged that steps are being taken to correct the supposed anomaly.
"The party is looking into that so that there will be no confusion. We want the convention to go smoothly. The electoral committee is different from organizing committee. The committee is to handle the electoral aspect of the convention and it will be totally independent. We are happy with the quality of people on the committee. The sub-committees have been set up and they are working already. I can assure you that we will sort everything out. The national chairman is handling that," George stated.
But Ciroma, who is known to be a man of strong character, completely differed from George's position. He politely put his argument across this way: "our sub-committees are in order. I don't agree that there is going to be any conflict with any sub-committees that had been set up by the party," he asserted.
Analysts are of the view that the decision of the Ciroma-led convention electoral committee to constitute another sub-committee for the convention is not only in line with the party's constitution but is also in tandem with President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua administration's mantra of rule of law and due process.
Ciroma is not the only one emphasising on the need for transparency and accountability in election process. Just last Thursday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in an advertorial in a national daily tagged "Independent National Electoral Commission Political Parties Congresses and Conventions" stated categorically that all political parties should accord due respect to their respective constitutions and value of internal democracy.
In the statement signed by INEC's Secretary, Alhaji A. Kaugama on behalf of INEC Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, the electoral body said "that political parties must conduct their congresses and conventions openly, transparently and in accordance with the spirit of democracy and rule of law as spelt out in the Electoral Act 2006, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the respective constitutions of the political parties."
Ciroma's body language so far gives him out as a man who is not only dedicated and determined to execute his given assignment but also utilize the opportunity of the convention to rekindle faith in the ruling party by upholding the wish of the majority without minding whose ox is gored. The early steps taken by him confirm the praises that heralded his appointment from some party members who saw him as the right person to head the convention electoral committee because of his discipline and integrity.
Former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, who is now the leader of the G-21 group that insists that a neutral body outside the party's NWC conducts the planned convention has expressed confidence in Ciroma as the head of the convention electoral committee. Although Nnamani faulted the process that brought in the 39-man committee, he is however happy with the appointment of Ciroma as its chairman.
According to Nnamani,"the appointment of Ciroma as the head of the national convention committee is a welcome development. That means that they are beginning to do things right." But he added that "the appointment of the committee is not enough. The chairman of the committee is a credible Nigerian full of integrity, but let their appointments be ratified by the constitution".
While the Ciroma-led convention electoral committee has shown signs of its resolve to contain the contending power brokers and camps in the PDP, political watchers believe that the statement credited to Ciroma that his committee would not tolerate any form of manipulation may have sent the right message to the potential forces within and without the party that it will not be business as usual.
The hurdles for the Ciroma committee is to raise its head above the contending interests in the ruling party and organize a free, fair and transparent convention that would usher in a new PDP that upholds the tenets of internal democracy.
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