From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos
Lights Monitoring Group a coalition of 45 civil society organizations , has called on the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to give priority to the acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, in the contest for the state’s governorship election next year.
The National Coordinator of the Group, Mr. Olufemi Aduwo, made the appeal in Lagos yesterday while briefing the media on internal democracy in the political parties as a major challenge in 2015 elections.
Aduwo said that there was a need for the ruling PDP and the people of the state to allow Umar clinch the party’s ticket for the race.
He noted that since his assumption of office, the acting governor has been able to save more than 20billion of Naira for the state and settled all debts including bank drafts.
“These are some of the qualities of a good leader, considering the fact that state had almost been thrown into turmoil until his assumption of office”, he stressed.
Aduwo also noted that said since Nigeria’s Presidential System of government is modelled after what obtains in the United States, what applies over there in terms of politics should also be applicable here. He therefore stressed that a sitting governor or president should be given the opportunity to run on the party’s ticket unless he chooses otherwise.
Aduwo declared that “for stability, the Acting Governor must be allowed to contest. I urge the PDP leadership to do the needful in this regard .Since he assumed office in acting capacity, he has demonstrated high level of transparency and accountability in managing the state funds”.
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