
The South West People’s Democratic Party, PDP, appears to have
mapped out a course of action to follow in a bid over-run the ruling
Action Congress of Nigeria,ACN, in Lagos and other States in the region
come 2015.
Already, consultation and reconciliation of all stakeholders of the
party are on-going. Recently, Chief Olabode George and Senator
Ogunlewe were said to have shook hands and ready to close ranks for the
victory of the party in the next election.
Again, as if it knew where it had goofed, a source maintained that
the stakeholders of the party have resolved to allow internal democracy
to flourish where candidates for elective positions will be decided via a
robust and transparent party primaries.
The
chairman of the South-West Caretaker Committee of the party, Chief
Ishola Filani recently at the May 29 Democracy Day rally held in Lagos,
declared that some of the leaders of the party did not allow internal
democracy, but reasoned that all that had been consigned into the waste
bin of history as everybody is rearing to go. “Lest us confess, some of
our leaders did not give room for internal democracy but we are making
frantic efforts to see that internal democracy come into play.”
The chairman of the South-West Caretaker Committee of the party,
Chief Ishola Filani said that considerable work in the area of
reconciliation has been done and it is yielding positive results. “We
have talked to the widest spectrum of leaders and sent teams to all the
six states of the zone to collate the peculiar problems of each state
and the critical factors of conflict and factionalisation. We are going
to prepare enabling environment for our party members and officers
including all stakeholders in Lagos and other states of the Sout-West to
ensure that victory is ours in 2015.”
He called on leaders in the region to allow the sustenance and growth
of internal democracy as it remained the only way the party can be
victorious in the coming election.
He maintained that the party will be made more cohesive and efficient
in pursuing its goals which according to him include attracting
majority to its fold and also ensure that its members have the incentive
to remain loyal to its cause.
“We must bring the PDP to every door step and every home in the South-West,” he boasted.
Filani stated that the party is poised to taking over the government
of Lagos state and other states in the South-West at the next general
election in the region.
“In Lagos, government has been turned into a family business. The
affairs of the state are being controlled by the former governor and his
cohorts; they are buying all the lands in Lagos; destroying market
places; high penalties for minor offences; high transportation cost;
life have become so expensive because they did not allow okada to ply
our roads, everything in Lagos is now for the high and mighty; there is
nothing for the poor again; life is becoming unbearable for the poor who
is entitled to the gains of democracy. Only a few people who are
members of the family and friends of the former governor are controlling
the affairs of Lagos. This is worse than the military era and this is
what the PDP will change in 2015,” Filani stated.
Also, Owolabi Salis, New York-trained chartered accountant and lawyer
and a former governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, stated that Nigeria’s democracy has
been bedeviled by religious and ethnic crisis, which according to him
had distracted the leaders from focusing on developmental programmes but
have been busy with how to resolve the various ethnic and religious
crises plaguing the country.
He opined that Lagos state is a PDP state and the party will win the
next general election in the state. “Lagos state is a PDP state. PDP
has been defeating PDP in the state. You can see that with the national
outlook, and its population, PDP should be controlling the state,” he
stated.
“In 2002, we defeated ourselves, some personalities left to help AD,
the story was the same in in 2007 and 2011. This time, it is going to be
different as we have all resolved to come together to take over power
from these people.”
Salis added that reconciliation of all stakeholders are on-going. “I
know that Chief Bode Goerge and Senator Ogunlewe have reconciled but
there are other leaders who also need to be reconciled and I know the
reconciliation process is on.” he stated. On the Party’s suspension of
Governor Amaechi, Salis blamed the governor for going against the party
rules. “This is about clash of interest. With different diversities,
there will be different interest to protect. You either take positive
initiative to manage your interest or you take negative initiative. It
is unfortunate that some negative initiatives are being taken. My
concern is that a leadership is a leadership. The Party decided and
then the governor went against it, it is unfortunate.”
Salis continued: “If the party at the highest level decides that this
is what is going to happen, you don’t go against it but he went against
the decision of the party.”
Commenting on the 2015 Jonathan ambition, Salis however stated that
there was nothing wrong with people having ambition, adding that people
are only taking negative approach to issues instead of looking at issues
from the positive angle. “The president has the constitutional right
to contest. Whoever feels otherwise should rather take positive
approach rather than resorting to negative approach.”
Filani in his own submission, stated that as long as actions are
carried out based on democratic principles, on fairness, equity and rule
of law, all the hullabaloo about the NGF will soon fizzle out. He
disclosed that a committee was set up by the National Working Committee
of the party, and certain offences have been brought against him. Now,
if you want a thorough investigation, it is normal that you will not
want the person involved to be part of it. So, the suspension is to
give room to allow fairness and justice in his case. In fact, it is in
his own interest, but the opposition are reading a lot of meaning into
it.”
I think the action of the party is justified because it is only
through that suspension that the rule of law can take place,” he
surmised.
He stated further that the NGF though is not in PDP constitution,
adding that it is good if they come together under one body with a view
to cross-fertilizing ideas, but the forum does not in any way affect the
workings and activities of the President.”
On June 12 as democracy day, against the publicised May 29 date,
Filani stated that June 12 was only significant to the extent that
democracy was aborted by the military. “Democracy was not allowed to
take place by the military. I was the National Director of Publicity of
the campaign organisation of MKO Abiola. I have an insight into
everything that happened. It is one thing that if we don’t correct it,
we will continue to regret it forever. But the fact remains that, at
the end of the day, we have to thank God that Democracy eventually
started. June 12 was the demonstration of military autocracy, but it
was corrected on May 29 when all our democratic institutions started,”
he said.