Let the best emerge
as PDP chairman
By Danladi Sani, Kaduna
Saturday, December 1, 2007
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Photo: Sun
News Publishing |
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Since the campaign by aspirants to the seat of Chairmanship
of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) started, one
has maintained some studied silence. While some of the aspirants
amuse one by their obvious lack of focus and lack of seriousness,
some others appear to really know what they are doing. I also
see some as spoilers, who are being goaded by adversarial
elements of Ndigbo to indicate interest for the office, even,
when they know they are not qualified for the office.
For me, I look beyond the noise being made by the aspirants
in the media to see who actually is best qualified to be the
chairman. For me, I believe that the chairman of a huge national
party like PDP should meet the global standard of a modern
day leader.
Both the national executive members and general members of
the party should assess any candidate vis-à-vis the
following parameters: Personal profile and how one conducted
oneself in a previous office; temperament and one’s
social relations and academic/intellectual exploits. Any person
that aspires to be a modern chairman of the PDP should have
an intimidating C.V and must be educated to a certain enviable
minimum. He/she must be sociable and must have a track-record
of sustaining relationships and not being brash and confrontational.
He must be courageous without necessarily being disrespectful
and temperamental.
As I consider the above, tall requirements vis-à-vis
the galaxy of aspirants on the stage, I ponder over and over…
who really best suits the office? I cannot think of any person
than the gentleman, Dr. Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State. Each time
I meet him either at an airport or at a function, he usually
disarms me with his sense of humility and down-to-earth nature.
This man does not make claims to what he is not and is simply
a good man. He does not seek for attention but is even rather
self-effacing. I was therefore, not surprised when I read
that the Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Nana Sambo lauded his
simplicity and sense of honour.
Sambo had said that unknown to Egwu, when he (Sambo) was still
an ordinary citizen engaged in some international business
trips which took him outside the shores of Nigeria, at intervals,
he had taken a closer look at Egwu and saw that he (Egwu)
comported himself well unlike some of his colleagues. Sambo
said that each time he saw Egwu at any foreign airport, he
always carried his luggage and did not bother contacting Nigeria’s
foreign embassies to give him a V.I.P treatment.
I join Governor Sambo and others to say that Dr. Egwu is the
right candidate PDP needs now. We don’t need an immature
person who would always remind us of his Olympian position.
What the nation needs now at all levels are servant-leaders.
We have seen Egwu in and out of office and we can testify
that he has no inhibiting airs that prevent ordinary Nigerians
from reaching him. Let other aspirants wait for their time;
this is the time of Dr. Ominyi Egwu. The PDP is in dire need
of a breath of fresh air, which he can produce.
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