The Sun News On-line/politics

The member representing Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Iyom Uche Ekwunife has said that the internal democracy in the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) has not worked out because of the dictatorial tendencies of the leaders and those that assume the position of godfathers.

Consequently, she said the party has suffered tremendous crisis, especially in Anambra State where she said a few individuals decided that only their wishes would prevail instead of the wishes of the people.

Speaking with Daily Sun shortly after the Anambra State PDP stakeholders’ meeting convened by former vice president and founding father of the party, Dr. Alex Ekwueme in Awka, Ekwunife said that democratic and progressive-minded people in the party in the state have decided that no longer should a man or a handful of individuals decide their fate, hence they resolved that due process and rule of law must be followed in all matters of the party.

Ekwunife also spoke about the controversial state congresses of the PDP and urged the new leadership of the party led by Chief Vincent Ogbulafor to be steadfast, and not allow their consciences to be bought over.
The Anambra PDP stakeholder’s meeting
This is actually what you call a landmark meeting in Anambra State; you can see the calibre and quality of people who turned out for this meeting. You can see the Former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme and all the past Chairmen of the party, Senators, House of Representatives members, House of Assembly members and all the stakeholders.

This is indeed a landmark meeting in Anambra. We are not fighting with anybody, and we know also that nobody is fighting us. But what we are saying is that time has come when we as people of Anambra State should come together to organize ourselves in a peaceful manner. In a manner where anybody who has political ambition or interest should be free to declare it, and go to the field under democratic process, pursue it and if you win, you go.

This is because when you win and somebody knows that you have beaten him in the election clearly, free and fair, that person will have the courage to support the winner. But if we continue to dash ticket, if we continue to make elective office selective, we can never heal any wound in Anambra State. And we cannot wait any longer. Time has come when we should right the wrong. We can’t sit down watching our people killing themselves for nothing. In Anambra State, there is no family you cannot see a storey- building, rice, beverages and others. What an average Anambra person wants is involvement in power sharing. And how do you do it, you do it following due process. You do it by rule of law, that is the only way you can beat your opponent.

If the PDP continues to come through the back door, what example are we showing? So I think that this is a right step in a right direction, for us to come together as people and behave like people and not behave like animals. Time has come when we should remember that our children is the generation to come. What legacy are we going to leave for them? The president has said it clearly that he wants to go by rule of law. That rule of law must prevail, even in the family; rule of law should prevail. So this favoritism, godfatherism, godmotherism, godson, goddaughter thing should end. Let people who don’t even have anybody be able to participate in politics. If we continue with this selection, which means if you don’t know the person on top, you will never get to any office. But if we should start doing things by merit, people should feel free to come up with their ambitions, not when you see that somebody has an ambition, you go and kill that ambition. What kind of democracy are we practicing?

So today, the event or whatever we have said today is that things should follow due process. Right from now, starting from ward to local governments to state, to zonal level, we should follow due process to elect our leaders, so that the losers will put hands together and join the winners.
Because of this dictatorship, which we are firmly saying no to now, Orumba North and South Federal Constituency, which is the constituency of our great leader, Dr. Ekwueme is not being represented at the National Assembly. I am telling you that it is the constituency that has no representative, reason being that some people with their then boss in Abuja, wanted to determine who would represent the founder of our great party.

They did everything to stop some of us from emerging. In my case, our primary was held several times in their bid to see that I did not emerge, but the support of the people and God thwarted their plan.

The problem with Anambra PDP
The message I have for the PDP National Working Committee is to let us see a national working committee that has the interest of the people at heart. A national working committee that will rule by due process and rule of law, not where somebody will use money to hijack or buy the conscience of the people at that level, while the people at the grassroots are crying. Let them understand that the plight of the ordinary man can only be stopped by due process.

Let us give hope to the grassroots. I believe that the present National Working Committee has started well, because they have said that all the states where there were parallel congresses or factions would have their congresses repeated or reconciled. So it is a good step in the right direction, I think they started well and Anambra State is inclusive, because it is one of the states where there were parallel congresses. So I think they started well, but like I said, I hope that after sometime, some will not go and hijack them. All the same we are watching.