2015: PDP Adopted Jonathan As Sole Presidential Candidate To Stabilise Democracy – Dickson
has said the leadership of the PDP adopted
President Goodluck Jonathan as its
candidate for the 2015 presidential
election to stabilise and engender political
development.
Dickson said this on Tuesday at a forum
with members of the Correspondents
Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists,
Bayelsa chapter.
Dickson said the action by the PDP
governors and the party leadership was to
institutionalise the right of first refusal for
an incumbent President.
According to him, as the dominant political
party, PDP hopes the action, when
entrenched in the political culture, will
reduce cases of in-fighting within existing
political parties.
He said the action of the PDP was to
promote stability in the political system
and party responsibility to the electorate,
who would make the ultimate choice
during the elections.
The governor said the adoption of
Jonathan, being described as "sole
candidacy" by the media and the opposition
groups, was inaccurate and sounded
undemocratic.
He said, "It is not a declaration of sole
candidacy. The term sole candidacy
connotes undemocratic tendencies, a far
cry from what we have done.
"What we have done is to stabilise the
political system and entrench some form
of order in our political culture.
"We don't want to subject our members to
the costly and stressful experiences; what
we have said is that once you are a
president from a political party, you have a
right of first refusal.
"It will reduce in-fighting and cost of
lobbying and campaigns. If the incumbent
failed to deliver, the party loses elections.
"Whoever comes after Jonathan will no
longer have issues of intra-party conflicts,
but he will have the right to first refusal."
He said there was infighting in the first
term of many administrations, adding that
if the system had been institutionalised,
former President Olusegun Obasanjo
would have been spared the challenges
that faced his re-election.
Dickson noted that democracy should not
be about conflicts and unnecessary
intrigues and wranglings.
He said, "Institutionalising the right of first
refusal should be made part of our political
culture; no one did it for only President
Goodluck Jonathan; it is to allow for party
responsibility.
"If President Goodluck Jonathan refuses,
the elective convention will be conducted.
"But what we are going to have in PDP now
is a non-elective convention due to the
acceptance of the right of first refusal by
the President. This decision is provided for
by the electoral law".
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