*Governorship, legislative primaries too

All doubts about the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan for the PDP primaries leading to next year’s presidential election were laid to rest yesterday after the party announced that it was throwing open the presidential, governorship and legislative primaries to all aspirants irrespective of their birth place.

He spoke, just 48 hours after the party’s national chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, said he was misquoted by the media which reported him as saying on Wednesday that “zoning died in 1999”, but could be revisited if necessary.

However, Chief Secondus said under the new dispensation, the coast was clear for President Jonathan to seek the party’s ticket for the presidential election. 

President Jonathan is a Nigerian and therefore like all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe and religion, he is qualified to contest the PDP presidential primary election in line with its guidelines”, he said, adding:

“The guidelines for elective offices including the primary election for the Presidential Candidate of the party is open to all Nigerians to contest irrespective of geo-political zone, religion and sex.

“What we have in the PDP guidelines for the primary election to elect our presidential candidate, governorship candidates and members of the National Assembly is that every one that is qualified as stated in the 1999 constitution is free to contest irrespective of where the person comes from.

“We are taking our bearing from the 1999 Constitution as the basis for the guidelines for the primary election. Every Nigerian is qualified to contest the presidential primary election bearing into cognizance age qualification as stated in the 1999 constitution, educational qualification and the person is a bona_fide member of PDP who has paid all his financial dues and above all the person must be a Nigerian. That’s all.

“As we had it in the old national anthem, though tribe and tongue we may differ, we are all equal to contest as far as the PDP primary election is concerned”.

Article 13.10 of PDP constitution confers on the National Organizing Secretary the responsibility for organizing PDP primary elections and initiation of programmes for the general mobilization of the party and recruitment of new members.
The office is also responsible for harmonizing all information, devise appropriate strategy for winning election and coordinate all field activities and organizing seminars, workshop, rallies and campaign for the attainment of the party’s objectives.

“PDP Constitution cannot be above the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Therefore, anything that is inconsistent with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a nullity”, the PDP National Organising Secretary, Chief Uche Secondus, told journalists in Abuja.