Delay is unplanned deferment of a scheduled activity because of something or occurrence that impedes its commencement or continuation. Delay usually has time associated cost effects on an aspirant which may have spent a lot of money, time or the combination thereof.
Delay in politics is a temporary setback in the electoral process. There is a silver lining in the news that most of the media are not picking.
PDP delay to select their candidates in Ekiti Will seriously affect their chances in 2014( Anambra and Ondo States as a case study).
Election recently conducted by INEC in Anambra indicated that, if not court issues that made Anambra PDP aspirants collude against one another, PDP would win the state. Just a week to the election PDP just knew their candidate but if they had conducted the primary in time, the cohorts among the aspirants would have been resolved before the election took place.
Most democrats in Ekiti have hope on PDP’s gubernatorial candidates because this present government has disappointed Ekiti people in terms of Killing the innocents, using a dubious means to syphon N1,000 for selling forms for over 50,000 jobless graduates and so on.
APGA in Anambra state zoned its candidacy to Anambra North in a specified period before PDP zoned theirs in late hour. Though both candidates had first and second positions respectively in the yet-to-end election because Anambraians knew it was the turn of Anambra North to produce the Governor of the state, a dream now almost fulfilled.
PDP NWC need to learn from Anambra and Ondo States before selecting their candidate. A stitch in time saves nine. Appropriate zoning to Ekiti South Senatorial District which the majority of democrats focus/view will make remarkable difference in the party.
Again I say, PDP NWC need to learn from Anambra and Ondo States whose candidates were selected in time unprejudiced zoning method. Ekiti South Senatorial District, which catches the interest of the majority of Ekiti democrats, has not since the creation the state on October 1, 1996 by late General Sani Abacha, and Nigeria’s return to democracy, produced a governor. It is not new to all that two zones (Ekiti Central and North) had been controlling the power and affairs of the state for 14 years now. There is no better time for Ekiti South Senatorial District to show their prowess of governance in the state than now.
It is true that zoning of the office of the President or Governor is not in Nigeria constitution, but it is evidently stated in the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) so as to ensure equity in the distribution of powers. I refer to the PDP constitution, Article 7 subsection 2(c) which states that, ”in pursuance of the principle of Equity, Justice and Fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and Zoning of party and public offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels.” (PDP constitution, 1999).Therefore, it must be stated point-blank here that there is zoning and rotation everywhere, right from the National level through the various states to Local Government areas and electoral wards arrangements across the country. That is why you have the National Chairman of the party from the North and the president of the country from south. The party constitution provides for the rotation of the officers to the National, State and local characters of geo-political areas in the country. This is to ensure that the various posts and positions go round all the geo-political locations for equity and Fairness. Therefore, no side must feel cheated and unjustly outwitted.
PDP NWC’s and PDP SWC’s delay to pick candidates in Ekiti State is dangerous. They should do what is right by accepting the demand of the Ekiti South Senatorial District to achieve Equity, Justice and Fairness in the policy.
Amuda Emmanuel, writes from Ikere-Ekiti- 07033475634
