C
ompared with what opposition political parties have done or would do to pick their respective presidential candidates for the 2015 presidential poll, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has upped the ante by the across-the-board endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by almost all the constitutional organs of the party last week.
We welcome this development which underpin s the very essence of participatory democracy and the peace within the ruling party. Beyond all that, it underscores members satisfaction with the performance of the President as their candidate, the country’s leader by popular choice and a politician who has so grown on the turf to seek, find and deliver on the needed dividends of democracy that Nigeria may be better.
In this respect, we salute the party’s Board of Trustees and its National Exeutive Committee for spearheading the evident cyclone of endorsements of President Jonathan for 2015 ahead of an expected formal declaration by him, perhaps, in the no distant future.
Instructively, at the last count, endorsements for his second term bid have also come from sections of the country from his native south-south geo-political zone through the the south east, north central and the south west. Groups like the Northern Elders Forum too have not been left out in this historic development of a people yearning for continuity in office by their President.
We hail this development especially because it signposts a truism. And that is that as it marches towards its presidential primaries and eventual national convention, the PDP is expected to conduct rancor-free exercises all the way to the formal nod for President Jonathan to take another shot at the office come February 2015, presidential election.
But hasten to express our worry that indications from the opposition do not really suggest the same likely outcome.
For starters, in the main opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, keen watchers are quick to point at a likely titanic clash of interests among the many contenders for the party’s prime flag as well as several others who are not nursing any such ambition, but are stakeholders who by antecedents and/or some other propelling forces, would be compelled to have their say, and may be, way on who gets the party’s flag to run for presidency next year.
In the light of the foregoing, we are of the view that in the spirit of unfolding peace in the polity, and in accordance with globally acknowledged fine principles of democratic practices, every stakeholder in the ruling and opposition parties must let the hunger for peace, concord and patriotism guide their respective and aggregate actions. All must at every point in time remember that whoever becomes their party’s flagbearer needs every other member to rally support for him. After all, the party bearer’s eventual victory at the poll will be that of the party, its members and the nation.
Even in line with same fine democratic virtues, a loser at any poll must accept the loss and fellowship with his winner for the general good of the nation without necessarily compromising his party’s position in any way.
All must be remember that at the end of the day, Nigeria belongs to us all; and we must jealously guide its growth to glory land.