I will not condone questionable primaries in PDP, Muazu says

Muazu is new PDP chairman

The newly appointed chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Adamu Muazu, has stated that as chairman of the party, he would not tolerate any questionable primary conducted to select candidates running for election under the platform of the party.

Mr. Muazu stated this, Monday, at the National Secretariat of the party while making his acceptance speech shortly after being sworn into office.

He said a credible election begins with a free and fair primary.

“The PDP as the ruling party must therefore lead the way for others to follow. We cannot, and will not condone questionable primary elections,” he said.

He said the he intended to bring reforms into the party and would run it the way a party of the 21st century was ran.

“We will do everything possible to ensure the supremacy of the party under my chairmanship. In this connection, I will plead with the Executive Governors, who have tremendous role to play, to join hands with me in ensuring the actualisation of the supremacy of the party,” he said.

The new chairman said supremacy of the party would guarantee internal party discipline, credibility and electoral victories, which, he said, the party under his leadership could not compromise on.

Friction with Governors

Mr. Muazu said he was aware of the fear, expressed in many quarters, that PDP National chairmen always engaged in some form of friction with Governors from their states. He assured that he and the Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, would break the jinx.

“There has been so much belief that a chairman coming from a PDP state is an obnoxious thing that no governor wants. I want to thank my Governor and brother, Governor Isa Yuguda for accepting me to be the chairman of the party. Isa and I have decided that we are going to break the jinx. We will make sure that we work together in tandem. I assure you, I will not do anything to temper with his structure, neither will I temper with anybody’s structure,” he said.

The new PDP chairman advised those he called “political jobbers” to stay away from the party secretariat.

“They have no place in my administration and I would embarrass them,” he said.

 How Mu’azu was appointed.

Mr. Mu’azu was appointed by members of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party, at its 64th meeting, on Monday.

As proceedings were about to commence, the National Organising Secretary of the party, Abubakar Mustapha, asked journalists to leave the hall. But he was immediately overruled by President Goodluck Jonathan who asked reporters to stay and witness the proceedings.

Thereafter, the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, who acted briefly as the National Chairman of the party before the nomination and appointment of Mr. Muazu, said the appointment was based on Section 47(6) of the PDP constitution, which states: Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone were the officer originated from, pending the conduct of election to fill the vacancy.”

The Bauchi Governor, Mr. Yuguda, who nominated Mr. Muazu, told the NEC members that he and Mr. Muazu were childhood friends. He disclosed that Mr. Muazu had drafted him from the banking sector to political life when the new chairman nominated the governor as Minister under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“By all standards, Ahmed Adamu Muazu is eminently qualified to lead this party, and I urge you to approve his nomination,” Mr. Yuguda said.

Mr. Yuguda added that the PDP needed someone like Mr. Muazu so that the crisis in the party would be a thing of the past.

The leader of the Senate, Ndoma Egba, seconded the motion, after which Mr. Secondus put the question to members of the NEC who unanimously adopted the motion.

Why Muazu was nominated

President Jonathan, in a brief remark, said Mr. Muazu was selected among many members of the party who showed interest to occupy the position because of his widespread acceptance.

“All those who showed interest were eminently qualified, but Muazu was selected because he has some unique attributes and was accepted by people from all over the country,” Mr. Jonathan said.

The president said it became clear that Mr. Muazu had risen beyond ethnic and religious inclinations that afflict many politicians. He noted that the party needed someone like Mr. Muazu “to bring everyone together.”

“I know you and I believe you are one of the best persons to handle the PDP now. We need someone who can build bridges, not just fighting and fighting all the time,” President Jonathan said to the new chairman.