The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the era of imposition of candidates on the people is over, stressing that it has not anointed any particular candidate for the February 2010 governorship election in Anambra State .
The party’s national chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor who fielded questions from the State House correspondents on the issue said the PDP would not contemplate denying the Anambra people the right to choose who would govern them.
He dismissed the story making the rounds that the party had settled for the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as its candidate in next year’s gubernatorial election in the state, urging the public to discountenance such an impression.
The PDP boss said the recent reception in honour of Soludo, which was graced by many of the party bigwigs should not be misconstrued for adoption of his candidacy, saying due process would prevail in the emergence of the party’s candidates.
He stated unequivocally that the state chapter of the party would as required by law hold primaries for the selection of its candidate for the election, adding that Soludo like every other aspirants would follow due process to obtain the party’s form now out if he intended to contest the election.
Ogbulafor, who said the PDP was determined to promote internal democracy within it, pointed out that only the people and not the party would ultimately choose who would be their leader.
“We are deepening democracy and we believe in the party that internal democracy must be upheld. We are not moving to choose anybody. The people in Anambra will choose a candidate of their choice.
“There is no anointed person to be upheld as candidate. Soludo is an aspirant. We are giving the forms out. The forms will go down. He will go to his constituency and pick his nomination form like every other aspirant.
“There is no automatic ticket. When we make it open, it is only then PDP will win election in Anambra. But if we pick somebody, that is when PDP will have problems. Therefore, we will try to democratize the selection of a candidate and it will come from Anambra people. They will select whoever that will govern them.” He stated.
Ogbulafior who also spoke about the purported move to PDP by Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji, said the Abia governor was welcome in the party any time any day if he chose to cross over, adding “like I have been telling people, the umbrella is big enough for the whole nation. It should be a free thing, by free volition and no compulsion”.
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