Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has advocated for a review of political parties’ constitution bordering on waiver for new members to aspire for elective position.
Dan Orbih, the state chairman of the party, made the call in an interview with newsmen during the party’s enlarged leaders’ meeting across the 18 local government areas, in Benin City.
Orbih noted that the automatic waiver granted to defectors to contest elective position has not served the best interest of political parties in the country.
He lamented that a lot of politicians have abused the doctrine of waiver granted them by parties after using such party to climb to power.
He opined that reviewing the parties’ constitution on waiver will go a long way to instilling political discipline and sanity to the political structure.
He also added that it would help to nip in the bud gamblers in the nation’s politics.
According to him, “The move would instill discipline in the nation’s politics. I think if we do that, it will bring sanity to the political structure of our party so that we don’t breed political gamblers.
“This is a time for sober reflection. Parties should revisit the issue of waiver for new comers who are interested in contesting elective positions.
“Defectors must have stayed in a party for a minimum period before they can contest elective positions.
“For instance, a governorship candidate of the PDP in 2016, in the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu alongside dozens of his supporters Thursday resigned their membership from the party and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).”
“Ize-Iyamu joined the PDP in 2014 and emerged the party’s flag-bearer two years after. Thousands of such politicians abound in the country across the majority political parties,” he said.
He however, disclosed that the meeting was primarily for the party to prepare for its forthcoming state-wide congress to take over from the current executives due to end early next year.
“The meeting is geared to strategise for its state-wide congress starting from January; we elect Edo State chairman and other excos. Programmes of the congress have been given to all local governments who will in turn go to wards and start sensitising members early enough,” he added.
He said that with the current crisis rocking the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, the PDP had a better chance of winning the 2020 governorship election.
“I think God has put confusion in APC so that we can regain power in the state. This is a party (APC) that cannot organise itself and suspended its national chairman and all principal officers. It showed that they don’t have business governing Edo State,” Orbih said.
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, BENIN
