Lack of internal democracy caused PDP’s defeat – Nnaji

A lawyer and former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Ray Nnaji

A former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Ray Nnaji, on Sunday faulted calls for the removal of the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, following the party’s dismal outing in the 2015 general elections.

“Lack of internal democracy in PDP was the cause of the woeful outing in the general elections,” he said.

Nnaji, who spoke to our correspondent in Enugu, Enugu State, stressed that PDP “elders” who contributed to the defection of five governors to the All Progressives Congress should be blamed for the party’s failure in the presidential poll as well as the other electoral defeats the party suffered.

He accused the PDP elders, who he did not name, of not allowing internal democracy to thrive in the party.

He said the Mu’azu-led PDP national executive committee should not be blamed for the party’s failure in the presidential poll.

Nnaji, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone, equally noted that all members of the PDP should share in the blame for the party’s poor outing in the general elections.

He said, “The fact that the party failed woefully in the elections should not be attributed just to the national chairman or the national executive committee.

“Everybody should share in the blame. Remember that before he (Mu’azu) came in, there was crisis in the party.

“The people that should be blamed are the elders who allowed five governors to decamp to the APC; that move nailed the coffin of the PDP.

“Such a thing has never happened anywhere in the world. So, all those who contributed to the defection of the five governors should be blamed.

“If those five governors had not left, the opposition would not have been strong enough to effectively challenge PDP in the elections.”

Nnaji, however, noted that the development was good for the country’s democracy as well as the fortunes of the PDP.

According to him, it is an opportunity for the party to know its true members and those he described as “saboteurs. “

“There is nothing static in life except change; it is also an opportunity for the party to know who is a true member. Some people are saboteurs, they pretend to be genuine members but in truth they are not.

“The leadership of the party should not be left to people who are only interested in lining their pockets,” he added.

Nnaji suggested that the Mu’azu-led NEC should be given a chance to revive the party’s fortunes.

“The leadership of the party should not be crucified; they should be given the opportunity to redefine the party so that it could become a credible opposition that can wrest power from APC in 2019.

“This is possible because some of the people that caused problems in PDP are now in APC and surely they will also cause problems in APC,” he said.

Also, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Enugu State, Dr. Okey Eze, said calls for Muazu’s removal were belated since the party had already lost the presidential election.

“It is not necessary to call for his (Mu’azu’s) removal now because in a no distant time there will be a congress. It is already a belated call because the elections have come and gone,” Eze said.

But he went ahead to describe Mu’azu’s failure to deliver his state (Bauchi) as “unfortunate”.

Eze said, “It is unfortunate that he could not deliver his state. He tried his best but the level of opposition was too much. He came in with a lot of expectations, and with a loud ovation. He came in when there was absolute need for a change in the party. But be that as it may, what has happened has happened.”