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2011, Issues And Politics

20.05.12

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) still proved that it was the party to beat in any electoral contest in the country. Its showing at the poll showed that it enjoyed a considerable acceptance across the country above all the other 62 parties, despite criticism from the opposition. It won majority seats in state Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly. But its dominance in the North-West and South-West was significantly whittled down by opposition parties like the ACN, CPC  and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). The setback became more obvious to PDP and, indeed, a burden when it fell back to its principle of zoning of key elective and appointive posts. So, areas that massively voted for the party’s candidate had to be given priorities in the allocation of principal positions in the National Assembly. Thus, the South-West lost the speakership in the House of Representatives in spite of the spirited efforts by PDP’s top hierarchy to secure it for the zone. A high-tech politicking among members of the House thrusted Waziri Tambuwal to the exalted office. However, the election of the principal officers in the Senate elicited less mutual suspicion and friction, except for the allegation that the position of Minority Leader, which many claimed was traded off to Benue State by ACN. It was believed by some that the party acted for political expediency.. One area which stirred another major controversy was the proposition by the president for a six-year single term for president and governors. The proposal had hardly made headlines in the dailies before critics began to take on the president. They accused him of harbouring a hidden agenda. Some accused him of trying to reintroduce tenure elongation, which blighted significantly the moderate achievements of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in office. Jonathan had canvassed the idea as part of his own inputs into the ongoing moves to review the 1999 Constitution. To douse the fears of his critics and adversaries on the suggestion, he explained that he would not be among the beneficiaries if it became effective. The official position that the president was not the originator of the concept did not end the flaks from some political circles. Ditto his claim that the proposal was capable of reducing tension that usually characterise elections in the country. Nonetheless, on November 11, while speaking in Abuja, the president restated, “My proposal for a single seven-year tenure is anchored on the need for an incumbent president to focus maximum attention on the execution of his developmental programmes, instead of expending vital energy on re-election issues, though this has been misunderstood to mean “I want additional years.”

Source: Nigerian Tribune