The import of this development is that the president would emerge as the party’s sole candidate irrespective of the interest of other candidates. In that case, the party would skip primary election for that office.
A source in the party, who sought anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, confided in LEADERSHIP last night that the party’s top hierarchy had agreed to amend its constitution to accommodate the new thinking.
The idea, the source said, is to pattern the presidential contest after that of the United States of America, where an incumbent is given express ticket to contest the election. He also declared that the move was a done deal.
“As it is now, the plan is a fait accompli: the constitution of the party would first be amended and ratified in the next non-elective national convention. Nothing will stop the move. The top echelon of the party has endorsed it and what remains is for it to be adopted by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, which is likely to hold a meeting sometime next month,” he said.
However, the source revealed that the sudden move may not be unconnected to fears that the president could face a steep battle going into the primary contest, a development that is capable of tearing the party apart. “We don’t want an implosion,” the source said. “The party will be thoroughly weakened if that becomes the case, and, of course, it is situation we cannot afford in the light of current realities.”
The party, he further said, is positioning itself to counter the surging wave of the newly announced opposition merger platform, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
PDP leaders, LEADERSHIP learnt, are not unmindful of the strength that the APC could muster and the likely apathy of PDP members after the primary elections, which could “not only empower the APC, but spell doom for the PDP.”
Source: LEADERSHIP
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