FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has again rejected plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to tamper with the party’s constitution, with a view to granting automatic tickets to elected officers, particularly the president and governors.
In a statement, signed by the Atiku Media Office, Saturday, the former Vice President said he would challenge any procedure, either “consensus arrangement” or “adoption” that is contrary to transparent elections to produce candidates for all elective offices, including the presidency.
Atiku was responding to another kite being flown by Chief Tony Anenih, chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, who has advocated that the party should give an automatic ticket to President Jonathan in 2015.
The former Vice President recalled that he was repeatedly in courts to challenge this undemocratic arrangement and that the courts ruled that the policy is alien to the PDP and Nigerian constitutions.
Atiku said the principle on which he opposed this unjust policy, which he describes as a “travesty of democracy”, has not changed since then.
“My position remains that as far as PDP constitution is concerned, any attempt to change the party’s rule to favour the president as a sole candidate, in the event of his willingness to re-contest, is unconstitutional. The contest should be open to all that desire to pursue an ambition on the platform of the PDP,” Atiku said.
While acknowledging that President Jonathan is entitled to seek the party’s ticket in 2015, the former Vice President, however, insisted that Jonathan should submit himself to a transparent and fair process, just like any other party member.
He argued that by foreclosing free and fair process of selecting its presidential candidate, the PDP might be sending the wrong message to Nigerians about its commitment to conduct free and fair elections for the entire country.
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