December is a month laden with many crucial decisions
that would define the course of the country
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
The nation enters into the last month of the year with a number of crucial political decisions set to be taken that could well underline the future direction of the country.
Central to the political decisions to be taken in the month is the decision on the line up of candidates of the two major political parties who are expected to battle for supremacy in the coming elections that will define the future direction of the country in the immediate and perhaps long term. The election is due next February but the candidates would have to emerge this month under the provisions of the electoral act.
Besides that, the ensuing face off between President Goodluck Jonathan and his adversaries in the National Assembly could come to a head in December when the legislators weigh the option of serving the president an impeachment notice or not.
Political intrigues
Adamu-Mu’azu
The schedule of primaries to select candidates for the election due next February was itself laced in deep political intrigues. After initially fixing its primary schedules to commence in mid November with the key gubernatorial primaries initially fixed for November 15, All Progressives Congress, APC strategists moved it to fall behind that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP which had fixed its own gubernatorial primaries for November 29.
After a closed door meeting of the national caucus sometime in early November, APC rescheduled its primaries for December 4th. The decision was to allow the party lure those who fail to make it in the PDP to move over to the APC to try their luck and by that, dismember the PDP. Indeed, the APC had earlier amended its constitution to remove restriction on new members contesting in the party’s primaries at any level.
The PDP was quick to react to the plot of the APC as it also immediately adjusted its own primary schedule and put its governorship and National Assembly primaries after the newly publicised dates set by the opposition party.
The rest of this month is however, laced with much activities for the political gladiators.
December 2: APC holds primaries for House of Assembly aspirants. It is expected that a number of aspirants who lost out in the PDP last Saturday would seize the opportunity of trying their luck in the APC. However, the bandwagon effect of such defections would not have significant effect on a national scale.
December 3: House of Representatives resumes plenary session with the sceptre of an impeachment notice against the president arising from the police invasion of the National Assembly still an issue.
December 4: APC holds governorship primaries across the country. By the decision of the PDP to put its own primaries after that of the APC, the ruling party has almost successfully tied the hands of those who could lose out in the party. Some like Umana Umana in Akwa Ibom on the release of the revised schedule immediately jumped ship knowing the PDP had closed the door against rebellion. The only opportunity open to dissidents who lose out in the PDP is to work against the party in the main election but such dissidents would think twice.
December 6: PDP House of Representatives primaries.
December 7: APC House of Representatives primaries. Holding the APC House of Representatives primaries a day after that of the PDP was primed to enable the many dissidents in the House to switch camp if they fail to get the PDP tickets.
Internal disharmony
However, it is a double edged sword for the APC as party stalwarts who had been eyeing the party’s ticket could cause internal disharmony if it is perceived that the party hierarchy is unjustly dishing out tickets to defectors from the PDP.
December 7: PDP Senate primaries.
Odigie-Oyegun
December 8: APC Senate primaries. The same permutation on PDP dissidents in the House jumping ship could also apply in this case.
December 8: PDP holds its governorship primaries.
December 10: APC presidential primaries/national convention. How the four contenders and party leaders take the decision on who emerges as presidential nominee of the opposition party would be a major factor in the election. If they come out united, the ruling PDP could be in for a strong fight in the days ahead.
December 11: PDP nomination convention ends with the expected adoption of President Jonathan as party candidate.
The two presidential candidates that emerge from the national conventions of the two major political parties would also be expected to nominate their running mates if not on the convention ground, then shortly after.
Other major decisions of December
The president is yet to present the 2015 budget proposals to the National Assembly. Eyes would be watching out to see whether the president would present the proposals himself or delegate someone else as he did last year following apprehensions of a plot by some members of the National Assembly to hound him.
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