Primaries will no longer be hijacked by money bags – PDP

NATIONAL leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP said Tuesday that having realized its past mistakes, party primaries would no longer be hijacked by money bags and very influential members of the party. According to. PDP, henceforth, party primaries would be zero expenses to allow for the poor and very popular as well as acceptable candidates, adding that the PDP, it was prepared to take the party to the people in line with the motto of the party. Speaking in Abuja when the Resident Country Director of International Republican Institute, IRI, Sentell Barnes paid him a visit at the party’s National Secretariat, PDP Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, however insisted that the era of automatic tickets for candidates was over. According to the PDP acting National Chairman, biometric membership registration was designed by the party to show that the era of few money bags controlling the party was over, adding that members of the party should pay their dues as the party leadership has decided to take PDP back to the people. The PDP also disclosed that as the country prepares for Kogi State and Bayelsa State gubernatorial elections slated November 21 and December 5 respectively, it has concluded arrangements to improve on the provision of effective situation rooms for the monitoring of the elections. Prince Uche Secondus who hailed the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, however urged him to be fair in the conduct of Kogi and Bayelsa state governorship elections. Secondus who disclosed that the party will train staff in collaboration with IRI, however warned staff members against the sale of document to outsiders, adding, “We said it clearly that INEC must follow its rules, provide level playing field to all parties. If the commission is playing outside its rule, we will draw the attention of Nigeria to it. We believe in Nigeria Constitution, we believe in INEC Act, but we want INEC to conduct free and fair election in Kogi and Bayelsa. We want an improvement on the conduct of the last general elections. “Our intention is to make our primaries zero expensive, so that nobody will induce anybody. My agenda is to revolutionize the party so that the idea of money bag controlling the party will be eliminated. We want every member to participate in the party activities by paying their dues. Through this, we can eliminate the class syndrome and bring the party to the people. The party belong to all and should not be in the hands of few money bag. The party must be returned to the people.”