By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
Ward Congresses are the first steps in the indirect system of electing political office holders in the country. It is no surprise that it is suffused with intrigues and corruption

Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo was apparently on point last Thursday when he bemoaned the delegate system of nominating candidates of political parties for elections.

Speaking at a press conference to herald the collapse of his Coalition for Nigeria Movement, CNM into the African Democratic Congress, ADC, the former president in giving his prescription to stop corruption in the country, said:

“To curb corruption, primary elections should cease to be by delegates but by all card-carrying and financial members of the party within their constituencies.

“This will save lives as many people have died by being shepherded to a central location as delegates to vote at primaries.   It also introduced corruption into the system.   At one of the PDP primaries within the last eight years, one candidate distributed $10,000 per delegate, the one who distributed $15,000 per delegate won the primary.   It was not necessarily on merit, but certainly, dollar talked.”

President Obasanjo’s quarrel was that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC which he and several other Nigerians heralded as a platform to change Nigeria has remarkably failed in changing that narrative.

“Worse still is what PDP has now accepted as part of its failure and disappointment of the nation which is looting government treasury to finance individual and party elections.   Unfortunately, APC has followed suit,” the former president said.

The failures of the ruling party were all evident last weekend as the party conducted its ward congresses, the very first step in the process of choosing local executives who in turn would act as delegates in choosing candidates for the 2019 general elections.

Given the high stakes involved, it was not surprising that many of those seeking high-level positions in the party and elective positions threw everything into the fray leading to confusion and chaos in nearly every section of the country.

In Ekiti State where the primary to choose the APC candidate for the forthcoming governorship election was thrown into confusion after aggrieved party members raised pandemonium that led to the disruption of the process. The failure of the ruling party to manage its ward congresses has led to fears among party faithful on the capacity of the party to hold itself in the run-up to the 2019 elections. Even more, is the question of the capacity of the ruling party to manage the affairs of the country.

Critics of the party including the PDP have raised the issue by taunting the ruling the party that its failure to manage the basic ward congresses undermined its claim to manage the country.

The party is set to proceed to the next stage in the choice of its leaders with the local government congresses holding today in nearly all the states. But with the issues from the ward congresses yet unresolved, the prospects of the ruling party in the days and months ahead will be an issue.