Convention: PDP Shuts Out Ministers, Govs' Aides

Huhuonline.com / has it on reliable authority that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has removed ministers, ambassadors and presidential advisers as automatic delegates of the party's congresses and convention.   According to a memo with reference number NEC/57/100/2011, issued by the party's Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje and made available to members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of PDP, the action was taken by the Constitutional Review Committee of the party saddled with the responsibility of amending the constitution.  

  The memo, which denied ministers, ambassadors and presidential advisers as automatic delegates also affected state commissioners, advisers to governors, chairmen and members of federal and state boards and parastatals.   While saying that deliberations on the review will take place at the NEC's meeting scheduled for Thursday, Baraje harped that the party's constitution, which hitherto made these public officers automatic delegates to congresses and convention, was in conflict with the Electoral Act 2010.  

  'Provisions of the constitution which make ministers, ambassadors, presidential advisers, state commissioners, advisers to governors, chairmen and members of federal and state boards and parastatals members of the various congresses and convention have been recommended for deletion to bring them in line with the Electoral Act.'  

  The party, according to Baraje's memo, has certified the creation of additional organs at local government, senatorial district and state levels 'to enhance the administration of the party at those levels, especially with regard to conflict resolution.'  

  PDP also included a provision for the inclusiveness of one member of House of Representatives from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in NEC but that 'a state that has already produced a principal officer of any of the chambers shall not be entitled to additional representation.'  

  The Constitution Review Committee of the PDP is scheduled to meet in Abuja on Monday, to consider the governors' insistence to be allowed to sit at NEC, alongside members of the National Assembly.  

  The Peoples Democratic Party has further said that the new mode of nomination of the party's presidential candidate for subsequent election shall be through indirect mode of primary since Section 87 of the Electoral Act stipulates that a political party seeking to nominate candidates for election must do so either by direct or indirect primaries.  

  Recall that the new mode ran contrary to that used in picking President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2010 Presidential primary of the PDP.