Jonathan: Challenge of picking PDP, INEC helmsmen

By Akpo Esajere, Group Political Editor ( The Guardian Newspaper)

IN terms of fresh rounds of appointments, this week is significant for President Goodluck Jonathan. The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems set to announce a replacement for Prince Vincent Ogbulafor who quit the office of national chairman last month. Also, Chairman and federal commissioners of the crucial umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may also be unveiled on or before Thursday.
It is unlike the appointment of the Vice President, in which the President virtually has all the say; whereby Jonathan in a mild-mannered fashion kept his choice so close to his heart that the appointment of Vice President Muhammadu Namadi Sambo last month became one notable best kept secret of the Jonathan administration. It is however a different kettle of fish on the question of a new chairman for the PDP and appointment of national chairman and federal commissioners for INEC. One is a party affair and the other, an electoral reform concern, but both have serious implications, not only for Jonathan’s presidency but, more importantly for conducting free, fair, credible election in 2011, which is why they have been featuring highly charged political controversies.
Unlike Sambo whose name was never mentioned in the fiery speculations that presaged the unveiling of the Vice President, these appointments are following a known pattern, except perhaps the prospective INEC chairman, over which a little more politics is still being played.

PDP chair
As at last Thursday, it appeared fairly strong that Okwuesilieze Nwodo, a former governor of Enugu State and national secretary of PDP whom Obasanjo moved against and dropped, would be adopted. His expected success appears hinged on his perception by the top hierarchy of the party leadership that he could be counted on not to do the bidding of Obasanjo. The need to check the perceived overbearing approach of the former President, now the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, appears a major concern in the ranks of the leadership.
Incidentally, Nwodo was to be proposed last night at a meeting in Aso Rock villa of the party National Caucus, to set the stage for his formal presentation to the party BoT at a meeting this night (Monday). The BoT secretary and former governor of Nassarawa State, Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi, who resigned recently on account of being investigated over alleged financial improprieties, had in a paid advertisement invited members of the advisory body to Abuja for the meeting at 8.00 p.m. this night. Also, a meeting of the party National Executive Committee, a 120-member body reputed as the party’s highest policy organ, is slated for tomorrow (Tuesday) to ratify both the PDP and INEC chairmen. The President, according to sources, is to present them formally to the Council of State, expected to sit this week.
Nwodo’s name is believed to have come up some time after a caucus meeting at the presidential villa during which Jonathan briefed PDP governors of his choice for Vice President (Sambo). Sources described his choice as compromise between Jonathan and the party governors who are bent on “not supporting anybody from Obasanjo.” Initially, the President was said to prefer Chief Bernard Eze, a former secretary of the party and one-time deputy chairman (Southeast) for the job of national chairman. But Eze’s opponents dismissed him as being “too close” to Obasanjo.
At this time, the name of Ike Sanda Nwachukwu, a respected retired Army General who had done well with the party peace committee set up to deal with crises in some of the state branches, which he chaired, also came up. Here, opponents argued that after Obasanjo’s well-known high-handedness, they could not tolerate another military man for the sensitive job of national chairman.
On the other hand Eze has had levers he could exploit with President Jonathan. This had accounted for Eze’s initial strong mention as the choice for chairman. He had led the team that conducted PDP primaries in Bayelsa State in 2007-primaries, which produced Jonathan as the party governorship candidate before he was dramatically moved high to be presidential running mate and eventually elected Vice President. Also, Jonathan had initially not thought highly of Nwodo, owing to the famous alleged ID card scandal, which Obasanjo brought against the late S.M. Afolabi, Nwodo and others.
Now, Nwodo survived. As at last Thursday, Jonathan was said to accord him a much important okay, seeing that PDP governors, especially those of the three PDP-controlled Southeast states, have lined up behind him. Local politics back home in Enugu State worked for Nwodo who had his state governor Sullivan Chime’s (Enugu) active support. Ditto for Chief Martin Elechi of Enugu’s neighbour Ebonyi State. Ikedi Ohahim (Imo) was said to initially oppose Nwodo but by last Thursday when the caucus met to adopt him had changed his mind and thrown support for Nwodo’s adoption.
And so, Nwodo seems all set to make it as replacement for ogbulafor. The only other notable name was Chief Fidelis Ozichukwu, said to also the support of Obasanjo and importantly the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, a strong voice in the Southeast caucus, being the most politically ranking Southeasterner in Abuja by virtue of his federal office. Ekweremadu and Nwodo are from the Nsukka axis of Enugu State. His initial opposition to Nwodo was seen as borne of self-interest: he did not want an appointment that could negate his own political future. However, once it appeared that the President had agreed to go with the nomination, Ekweremadu’s office released a statement pledging unqualified support.

INEC chair
Until the President spoke to Nigerians abroad during his recent visit to France, campaigners for electoral reform based on the Justice Muhammadu Uwais panel recommendations were still hoping that the federal government would reconsider its position that the President should continue to hold the power of appointing the INEC chairman. The late President Umaru Yar’Adua government had rejected the Uwais panel recommendation that the National Judicial Commission (NJC) should be given the responsibility of advertising, interviewing and presenting the best person for the job to the National Assembly.
To the electoral reform community, this was “first clear indication” that the government is not “truly serious” about electoral reform. Thus, a tag of “cosmetic” easily hung over constitutional review activities at the National Assembly aimed at introducing some reforms to the conduct of elections as prescribed under the country’s (1999) constitution.
Especially electoral reform crusaders are now closely watching Jonathan, as he gets prepared to name the INEC chairman. He revealed to his audience of Nigerians resident in France that he had reached a decision on the candidate he would appoint as INEC chairman. He said he has never met the chosen candidate. He spoke of the chosen one’s unimpeachable character and also expressed confidence in his ability to conduct free and fair election, saying: “what I can promise Nigerians is that we will do everything possible to conduct credible election. New laws will help us. We must develop a system of electing credible leaders. That would be the beginning of real development for our country…”
In a sense, this speech may have led a national daily to report with assertiveness that Mr. Bukhari Bello, former Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is the chosen candidate for national chairman of INEC. However, as at last Thursday, three names were being mentioned in circles claiming to have good intelligence of what is happening, with Buhari as No three. The first two names are Prof. Attahiru Jega, a refined academic and Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano (BUK) and Justice George Adesola Oguntade, who retired from the apex court, the Supreme Court, last March after a distinguished career.
There are many contending forces and the race is obviously underscored by shifting sands, with the possibility that the President could indeed change his mind at any time, even in the last minute. But as last Thursday, Prof. Jega appeared the first candidate linked to INEC chairman, while Justice Oguntade appeared marked for a new electoral body being created as part of the electoral reform package, the Election Offences Commission (NOC).
Some government officials were said to be establishing contact with Jega’s friends while security officials were said to be busy doing more checks on him. Jega, a political scientist, had established distinct reputation as a very calm, calculated and progressive negotiator while serving as President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Using dialogue as a major weapon, he had led ASUU to confront the Babangida administration. ASUU under him and the federal government negotiated the 1992 welfare agreement for increased salaries and improved funding for the university system. If he is appointed, he would be the first northerner to be INEC chairman.
The respected jurist, Oguntade, whose distinguished career at the Supreme Court was remarkable, especially for his dissenting judgments, celebrated his 70th birthday last April.
Buhari Bello, now a director of legal services at the Defense Ministry, if appointed INEC chairman would be an obvious card played with an eye for the human rights community. His reputation went up greatly during his executive secretary-ship of the human rights commission when he publicly expressed concern about numerous human right issues in Nigeria, including harassment of journalists by security forces. He spoke at the 39th session of the African Commission of Human Rights. But back home the Obasanjo administration moved against him, whereby he fought back fearlessly and with resoluteness. He was a director of legal services of the then National Electoral Commission (NEC) under Humphery Nwosu, whom the professor of Political Science (Nwosu), who was teaching at Nsukka when he was made NEC chairman described glowingly in his (Nwosu) book titled, “laying the Foundation for Nigeria’s Democracy: My Account of June 12, 1993 presidential election and its Annulment.”
Nwosu described Buhari as a quiet but resolute force in checking the perceived moves of the then Attorney General of the Federation Mr. Clement Akpamgbo (SAN) and those allegedly aligned with him to frustrate the conduct of the election. Like Jega, Buhari from Sokoto State would be the first northerner to be INEC chairman if appointed.