Nwodo blames non-performance of some governors on godfatherism

By Henry Umoru

…Says many party chieftains have never read party Constitution
UYO—FORMER National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Thursday, blamed godfathers for non-performance of some state governors. He said the governors were tied to the apron strings of godfathers with whom they shared their states’ monthly allocation.

Nwodo said this was impacting negatively on development of states, against the backdrop that the governors run to their godfathers who were instrumental to their getting to power.

The former scribe, who was governor of old Enugu State, said  if elected governors, irrespective of the party platform, must deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians, they must remove themselves from the overbearing nature of godfathers who influence almost all their decisions and how state allocations were spent.

Speaking at the Retreat on Capacity Building for Zonal/State Publicity and Organising Secretaries, organised by the PDP national Secretariat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, Nwodo, who noted that the verdict of the people must be allowed to prevail in the selection of candidates for election, said the people’s decision was very important as they knew the aspirants.

Nwodo said:  “Those who are elected as party officials or as the party’s candidates are given certificates of return, a copy of code of ethics for party officials and in the case of candidates, a copy of the party’s constitution and a copy of our manifesto.

“All these instruments are very important. It is because many elected party officials have never read these documents that they abandon the party after they win elections. Parry officials and our elected representatives at all levels must study and be conversant with the details of these documents as they contain our covenant with the people we represent and what our party stands for.

”I have to emphasise even at the risk of repetition that the only true way a party can produce its best for party leadership or candidates for general elections is by the practice of robust internal democracy.” Leaders produced by this practice have a social contract with the people.”