Chief Tony Anenih Give President, Governors, Legislators Automatic Tickets

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, governors and members of the National Assembly of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may get automatic tickets to run in the 2015 general elections.

This is, however, premised on the party accepting the suggestion by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, who said the automatic tickets could only be given to a sitting president and governors, who had performed creditably in office.

Still, he made a special case for President Jonathan, saying that he did not see any difficulty in the PDP extending the gesture to the president to serve a second term if he so desired.

He said the same gesture should be extended to performing members of the National Assembly, even though the Constitution does not circumscribe their tenure or number of terms they can enjoy.

The former Minister of Works and current Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), made the proposal in Abuja at the weekend at a dinner meeting convened at the instance of President Jonathan with select leaders of the party that graced the event from across the country.

This was barely two weeks after he advocated in Asaba, the capital city of Delta State, a new system of nominating presidential and governorship candidates of the party.

The instant suggestion is coming on the wing of a campaign to get the PDP constitution amended, to provide a return ticket for a sitting president for a second term in office.

A group, Concerned PDP Democrats, a pressure group, is spearheading the campaign.

Leader of the group and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Imo State, Nze Elvis Agukwe, told a monthly magazine in March that the PDP couldn’t be too careful to guard against dissension, acrimony, backlash and anti-party activities from its primaries.

Hence, the group’s proposal for the party constitution to be amended, to allow a sitting president automatic ticket for a second term. But this does not include governors, lawmakers and council chairmen.

However, Anenih, who is canvassing the inclusion of governors and National Assembly members, said he did not see anything wrong, “if the PDP considers automatic tickets for the president and its governors, who have performed well and are seeking a second term.”

“It is my view that with the outstanding performance of President Jonathan in the areas of Power, Rail and Water Transportation, Road Construction, Aviation Reforms, Education, Agriculture, Job Creation, etc., the party should not find it difficult in granting him the opportunity to serve a second term, if he so desires.”

Anenih said his proposition was made against the backdrop of the incidents of rancour and disunity that have always attended the party primaries.

“Since this gathering is all-embracing and fully representative of our party membership nationwide, I would like to repeat what I said in Asaba about our party primaries,” he said.

“I did say that, over the years, our primaries have been the most serious sources of rancour and disunity in our ranks, and, that we usually invest so much resources and energy fighting ourselves in the primaries that should have gone into the larger battle against our political rivals.

“I had admonished that we could not continue this tradition of internal warfare and hope that we would have enough energy left to win elections.”

Anenih said he had consequently proposed the evolvement of a new system of selecting flagbearers at the presidential and governorship levels that would preserve the party’s unity and reserve its energy and resources for the greater battle for political power.

“The proposed arrangement would, I believe, help to forestall frictions and acrimony in the nomination process, in the overall interest of our party and the nation,” he said.

Anenih, however, condemned what he called the “persistent negative profiling of the administration of President Jonathan,” and urged the PDP leaders to rally round and unite behind the president in the task of nation-building.

“The opposition has been relentless in churning out damaging propaganda about this administration for the purpose of destabilising it,” he said.

“It is sad that a few members of our party are accomplices of this evil mechanisation. I enjoin all of us to assist in promoting the policies and projects of the Jonathan administration.

“Our historical and political experience demands that we give President Jonathan the maximum cooperation to succeed in transforming this country into a stable and prosperous industrial nation. If we do not cherish and sell our good product, nobody will help us to sell it.”

Anenih decried the widespread indiscipline in the state chapters of the party, and the disrespect shown to the office of the president by some top leaders of the party.

“For instance, a situation where Mr. President visits a state for an official function, and some of the PDP governors of the states in the zone do not attend the function even when invited, is not a good testimony,” he said.

“As party leaders, we must learn to show loyalty and respect for constituted authority, that being the only way to promote unity.”

He stressed the importance of unity to the development of the party, warning that, “if we want to continue to enjoy the solid support of Nigerians, we must show to them that we are deserving of their support.”

“We cannot afford to continue to act unruly, create unnecessary tension in the party with the consequence of heating up the polity, and expect Nigerians to applaud us,” he said.

“Nigerians can only be encouraged to identify with us if the promotion of harmony, cohesion and development of the party and our nation is topmost on our agenda.”

Anenih advised that the leadership crisis in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) involving Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Jonah Jang should be urgently addressed.

According to him: “We must seek to promote unity and enforce discipline. Consider the case of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum where there are now two Chairmen, both members of the PDP.

“This is an embarrassing situation, which must be urgently addressed. The supremacy of the party must be recognised and enforced.

“The leadership of the party will not tolerate a situation where it will preside over a divided house.

“If we expect the PDP house to stand the test of time, to withstand and overcome the storms and crises being fuelled by the opposition parties, we must be united, focused, decisive and dedicated to a common cause.”

On reconciliation in the party, Anenih stated that in the last few weeks, members of the BoT had visited a number of PDP-controlled states in pursuit of reconciliation, noting that there were four more states to visit.

“During these visits, we had frank discussions with our state governors and other party leaders,” he said.

“It is true that some governors have complaints against the leadership of the party. So also have there been some complaints against the governors.

“In any case, the problems raised are not insurmountable, as the party leadership is already working hard to resolve them.”

He said at the end of the tour of the states, the members would collate the reports of the reconciliation efforts, including appropriate recommendations, and submit to the President, for the identified issues to be holistically addressed.