Daily Champion (Lagos)
Alphonsus Nweze
4 November 2009
Onitsha — The Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Onitsha , Mr. Chugbo Enwezor, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has not infringed any known law in Nigeria by nominating the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as the flag-bearer of the party in Anambra 2010 governorship election.
Enwezor who is a stalwart of All Progressives Peoples' Alliance (APGA), said that all those protesting the nomination of Soludo should either abide by the decision of the party or live the party for other political parties if they feel very strong about the nomination of the erudite Professor of Economics.
He said that PDP is entitled to field a candidate in the coming election and how they do that is their own internal affairs, stressing that there is nothing undemocratic about the selection of Soludo.
Enwezor who was the chairman for the Committee for the Defence of Democracy and Good Governance (CODEGG), in Anambra State, a coalition of human rights groups which fought for the restoration of Governor Peter Obi's mandate during his travails, said that even if there was primary in real sense of it, the party can still decide to jettison the person who emerged from it and field somebody who they think can win election for them.
Noting that there have been several court decisions including the apex body about the exclusivity of political parties to nominate their candidates in any election, he said that it is not for the court to determine who should be a political party's candidate, expressing surprise that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that they are discountenancing Soludo's candidature based on Abuja court injunction.
"It is within the prerogative of PDP or indeed any other party to determine who will be their candidate. They know who will fetch them votes, carry out their policies and programmes. It is democratic. It is not undemocratic. If you don't like it, you join other parties", he said.
He expressed shock at the parallel rally being organized by some people who call themselves PDP members in Anambra state to cast aspersion on the character of some people, stressing however that it is a general trend of indiscipline within the party particularly in Anambra state.
Enwezor said that the problem of this group of people is that they have been over pampered all over the years, creating an environment which favoured them to rig election and get scot-free, and stated that if they think they are very popular in the state, they should move to other parties and deliver their candidates.
"They want to die and create insecurity in the state because they know it is only in PDP that all the apparatus of Government, INEC, police will be made available for them to rig", saying that some of them who knew PDP and its character of imposition went to other parties.
The legal practitioner said that it is surprising that these people who knew that there have never been internal democracy in the party and they have been benefiting from imposition of candidates, were screaming about primaries and due process.
He said that PDP has never conducted genuine primary and followed due process since its inception in selecting their candidates, querying if President Umaru Yar'Adua, the National chairman of the party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, the Governors, members of National Assembly and others occupying elected positions were selected through primaries and due process.
And if they were not, he said, why all the hues and cries from those who felt they have been sidelined, and now become later day apostles of rule of law.
On Dr. Andy Uba's case, asking Appeal Court to declare him governor in waiting, Enwezor said there is nothing like governor in waiting in the Nigeria, the electoral law or any other statutory book in this country.
He said that the constitution specifically stated the election must be conducted not more than 60 days and later than 30 days before the expiration of tenure of the incumbent.
He also said that the constitution provides the opportunity for the incumbent governor to contest for a second time, asking whether the election was purportedly held in 2007 can be said to have been hold 60 days before and 30 days later.
Enwezor contented that if Andy Uba is declared the governor in waiting where is the right of the incumbent governor to contest for second term, stressing that all these have subverted the spirit and letters of the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria apart from the fact that the Supreme Court of the land had declared that the election ought not to have been conducted in 2007 and therefore, if it was conducted, it was a nullity.
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