By CHINENYEH OZOR
Nsukka—FORMER National Chairman of Peoples’ Democratic  Party, PDP,  and first  executive governor of Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has vowed not to relent on his advocacy on political parties’ internal democracy.

Nwodo said this at University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, where he received a merit award from Faculty of Arts on the occasion of Chinua Achebe International Annual Conference.

He said: “Until I die, I will continue to champion internal democracy in political parties.’’

The former governor noted that internal democracy was sine-qua-non for democracy to flourish in the country, as elsewhere in the world.

Nwodo, who presented a paper on, “The role of political parties in the leadership development in Nigeria and Africa in the third millennium,’’  said even if he was made the president of this country; he was prepared to serve for only 24 hours if it would help to promote internal democracy,

Adding that unhealthy tribal and ethnic agitations were among the factors that hindered stable leadership and development in the country.

According to him, political parties not individual political leaders were at the heart of a country’s democracy machinery, pointing out therefore that people cannot think of democracy without parties playing crucial roles in the democratic consolidation.

He therefore charged the Nigeria electorates to hold politicians accountable to their manifestos.

Nwodo further said that electoral viability of multiple political parties was crucial in sustaining democratic governance, adding that political parties provide the citizenry with the choices in elections.