Indications have emerged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might disqualify former military dictator, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, from running the presidential race on the platform of the party.
According to informed party sources, the decision by Babangida to pick a presidential nomination form last Wednesday jolted the party hierarchy and forced it to return to the drawing board, with a top PDP official telling THISDAY that “Babangida has a big hurdle ahead of him.”
The very reliable official cited a small booklet titled “PDP Candidates: Desirable Qualities and Code of Conduct” as what might stop the former military leader.
Although the PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr John Odey, said the party was yet to establish its screening committee, it was gathered that the code would guide the nomination of candidates on the party’s platform.
The general qualities outlined in the 15-page document include patriotism; integrity; ethno-neutral; rule-driven; tolerance; transparency-driven; knowledge-driven; community/constituency service; and, leadership.
According to the party official: “It is the leadership that will define what these qualities mean, and that is where Babangida will meet his political waterloo.”
Under integrity, the party itemised qualities expected of its candidates as being of good character; having verifiable means of livelihood; does not waiver on principles of accountability and the Nigeria Project; and must not have been indicted for corruption or corrupt practices and other economic crimes.
The PDP leadership is said to be working on using the Pius Okigbo Panel report as a hurdle that Babangida must cross to enable him participate in the process of selecting the party’s presidential flag bearer.
The party has already stated that the prerequisite qualities were in “addition to the existing constitutional requirements that candidates must meet to qualify for electoral office.”
According to the preamble of the code of conduct for aspirants, the concept is to enable the party carefully look at those traits that are constant and imperative for nation building and modernisation of economy.
It stated: “To this end, PDP in furtherance of its agenda setting role seeks to identify qualities that an elected official should possess to be able to lead at various cadres.
“These qualities are intended to raise our campaigns from the banal, mundane level of muckraking to the more elevated and sublime level of debate on policy direction, individual capability, character requirement and intellectual capacity.
‘’This new level will require that candidates are clearly judged not just by their size of the wallet of their campaign organization but also by clearly measurable qualities.’’
When THISDAY contacted the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. John Odey, he said the issue of disqualification of any candidate had not arisen in the party.
“The screening committee has not been set up or inaugurated. I can tell you that the issue of disqualification or approval of any candidate has not arisen in the PDP,” he stated.
But Babangida, who spoke through his media assistant, Prince Kazeem Afegbua, said nobody could stop him from presenting himself to Nigerians ahead of the 2007 presidential election.
According to Afegbua, if his principal is not given the chance to compete on a level field in the PDP, he will run on the platform of the National Democratic Party (NDP).
"We have just picked the PDP form. Head or tail, Babangida will run for presidency in 2007 and Nigerians will decide his fate not any group of people," Afegbua said.
He added that Babangida had all the rights as any other Nigerian to present himself for election.
He challenged the former military president’s critics to tell Nigerians what they had added to the nation's democratic space in the last seven years.
“While IBB in pressuring his ambition will abide by the rule, he will not be intimidated or cowed by any so called gang-up as only the Nigerian populace will decide his fate,” Afegbua said.
