The highly celebrated and applauded Town Hall Meetings which started on March 5, 2014 and ended on April 4, 2014 delivered quadruplets on April 22, 2014 to the overwhelming joy of majority of Akwa Ibom people and searing anger of a minority that are still locked in adversarial position against the current administration. The new babies are to wit: Justice, equity, fair-play and good conscience. These are tenable levers of peace and mutual co-existence of every prosperous society. And so its arrival on our political shores must be celebrated if we don’t seek to be mischievous or drive self interest beyond the bounds of accepted consideration.
The town hall meeting had the semblance of a referendum. Governor Akpabio described it as “a discussion of the people by the people for the people”. He said: “we do not circumscribe opinion because we have no secret agenda”. And so the discussions through the ten (10) Federal Constituencies were robust, interactive, frank and uncensored. People were free to speak their minds. Senator Effiong Bob endorsed the town hall meeting noting that anybody who fails, neglects or refuses to attend such interaction is not worth mentioning. He attended and registered his minority opinion. Senator Ita Enang attended several of the town hall meetings. He aired his opinion which did not appear to be in tandem with the popular tide. Perhaps his ambivalence may have succumbed to the tide as he was present on the day of delivery of the town hall babies midwifed by the State Executive Committee of the Party of which he is a notable stakeholder.
The State Executive Committee of the Party had a scorecard of robust attendance which the governor, a lawyer acknowledged had satisfied both the composition and quorum as required by the constitution of the party. Attendants included the governor and leader of the party in the State, the deputy governor, the chairman and secretary of the party, State vice chairmen of the party, members of the Board of Trustees of the party; member, National Caucus of the party and indeed, the State Working Committee of the Party. Of course in attendance was the State Exco of the party, elected local government chairmen, elected vice-chairmen, elected chapter chairmen, ex-officio, members of the State House of Assembly, former chairmen of the Party, former Exco members of the Party, former and serving Senators, former and serving members of the Federal House of Representatives and a member of the National Exco of the Party. With these huge attendance, the governor thanked the party for keeping in line with the party and implementing the party’s constitution. The governor noted that members of this important organ of the party which also include former ministers are captured in Section 24 of the PDP constitution and expressed satisfaction with the attendance.
The functions of the State Executive Committee of the Party include to identify and resolve political and socio-economic issues that concern the State; to undertake the general administration of the party including offering final decision on matters in the State where it concerns the party. This body implements the decisions of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee of the party. It also implements the decisions reached at National Conventions. It approves the budget of the State Working Committee amongst other duties. This classifies the committee as a very important organ. Its decision therefore to intervene in the zoning brouhaha that has rocked the State these past months and which gave rise to the town hall meeting is in line with its constitutional function as enshrined in that important PDP document which should be the bible of all its faithful.
It was in recognition of the extant value of this committee as a conflict resolution tool that the Chairman of the party Obong Paul Ekpo who also doubled using the instrumentality of the party’s constitution as the chairman of that particular event converged a large number of statutory members to appraise the recently concluded town hall meetings and take a position in respect of the governorship seat come 2015. In doing this, the committee members were guided by the preponderance of sentiments expressed during the town hall meetings. Of course it was only advisable to move with the tide as sailing the party against the tide would produce untoward consequence.
The state Exco of the party which came into being on March 18, 2012 in a rancour free election decided to participate in all the town hall meetings in the State inorder to read the mood of the people accurately. The Chairmen, Obong Paul Ekpo noted that the massive turnout and active participation of Akwa Ibom people in the town hall meetings and the liberty with which views were expressed underscore the fact that the entire state is one cohesive family despite glaring diversities in culture and tradition. Hear him: “I must confess that the exercise is still adjudged the highest point in our democratic experience. It was indeed a great lesson in participatory governance and has great hope for the future”.
The party chairman further stated that the party was proud of Akwa Ibom people for standing on the side of justice, fairness and equity maintaining that the party did not expect anything less from a people who subscribe their faith to the righteous laws of the Almighty. He said as a party which motto is “Power to the people”, the party identifies with the sentiments and principle embedded in the various conclusions and resolutions of the 10 federal constituencies explaining that there are sentiments and principles consistent with democratic principles.
The one time Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs stated that at various meetings, the Chapter Chairmen, the State Working Committee and the State EXCO of the party had resolved based on the preponderance of views of the people that the zoning principle be applied and the governorship position be zoned to Eket Senatorial District come 2015. It further resolved that after Eket Senatorial District, it would be the turn of Uyo Senatorial District to produce the governor. He re-affirmed that the party’s decision is based on the principles of equity, fairness and justice noting that there are strong anchors for peace, unity and progress in any democratic dispensation. Obong Ekpo on behalf of PDP in the State appealed to party elders and all stakeholders to abide by the decision and join cause with the party to ensure victory.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the State Executive Committee Meeting and dated April 22, 2014, Chief Godswill Akpabio was lauded for the leadership vision that gave rise to the town hall meetings embarked upon by the State Government. It described the exercise as unprecedented, timely, inspiring and acceptable. The communiqué relying on the provision of section 7 (3) of the party’s constitution 2012 (as amended)and which stipulates adherence to the policy of zoning and rotation pursuant to the principles of justice, equity and fairness zones the governorship position to Eket Senatorial District in 2015.
The meeting passed a vote of confidence on His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR on his transformational agenda an urged him to contest the 2015 presidential election.
The meeting also passed a vote of confidence on His Excellency, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON for the unprecedented way he has turned around the fortunes of Akwa Ibom State through the uncommon transformation programme and his continuous support to Mr. President and the party both at the State and National levels and urged him to accede to the request of the people of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District to represent the zone and indeed the State in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2015.
The meeting also passed a vote of confidence on His Excellency, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, the National Chairman of PDP who has rightly earned the epithet of the “Game Changer” for once gain restoring the confidence of Nigerians in the party.
The meeting, however, took a swipe at the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak for the contemptuous role he played in the purported inauguration of a support group for Mr. President which in every ramification is sectional going by its frontliners and followers. It described the action of the Special adviser as capable of causing disaffection and sowing seeds of discord amongst the people of the State. It warned Alhaji Gulak to desist from further interference in the affairs of the State as its people do not need any assistance in its campaign for President Jonathan who is one of their own.
The eventual resolve of the party to zone the governorship ticket to Eket Senatorial District has been received with loud applause affirming that our sense of justice are not blurred. The teeming number of people who support the position of the party from all the Senatorial districts kindles our collective sense of justice and puts us on notice that any threat to justice would weaken our human chain and stifle our collective prosperity. We must therefore rise above primordial considerations which is a product of instinct and embrace the high-mindedness that civilization and good breeding confer so that we can jointly steer the ship of our destiny to a safe harbour where justice, equity, fair-play and good conscience reside. Congratulations PDP and congratulations to Eket Senatorial District.
Joe Iniodu is a public affairs analyst
No comments:
Post a Comment