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The presidential candidate of the
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is expected to emerge at its
national convention scheduled to hold in Abuja on December 29, the
national chairman of the party, Rufa’I Hanga, has said.

Also, all aspirants on the platform of
the party may be compelled to sign an undertaking that they will not
contest the results of its forthcoming primaries.

Mr Hanga, who announced this during a
meeting between the leadership and the governorship aspirants under the
banner of the party, said that though the presidential candidate will
be elected at a congress on December 22, he will, however be ratified
alongside other successful aspirants on December 29.

He added that the congress to pick the
party’s candidates for the Senate and the House of Representatives will
hold on December 18; ward congress, November 24; local government
congress (December 1) while registration of members nationwide will
hold between October 30 and November 6.

Mr Hanga, a former senator, stated that
the party’s leader, Muhammadu Buhari, may not be the only presidential
aspirant, adding that more aspirants may emerge before the December 22
congress.

Earlier, in his remarks, Mr Buhari said
that there will be a clause in the party’s nomination form for all
prospective candidates to reflect on and appreciate the fact that
elections can go one way or the other.

This, he added will ensure that both
winners and losers feel they have been fairly treated in the process.
“The CPC is committed to addressing the challenge we have in
institutionalising democratic process in our country,” he said. “We are
deliberately seeking to evolve a precise method for achieving democracy
so that winners and losers, all alike, may get the sense that they have
been treated with fundamental fairness, having the confidence that
nobody had been cheated in the process.” “Note that in the party
nomination form, there is a concession clause that compels a
prospective candidate to reflect on, and appreciate the fact elections
can go one way or the other when it is truly free and fair. This
provision would permit the party to manage the aftermath of primary
elections more graciously. It is only the do-or-die elections that can
produce a pre-determined result.”

Internal democracy

The former military head of state
stated that the party takes the issue of internal democracy seriously,
adding that it is mindful not to create grievance among its members.

According to him, democracy cannot be
achieved through random acts of political bravado and wizardry of few
individuals, stressing “neither can arbitrary manoeuvring even by few
well-meaning people bring us the democracy we desire. Unfortunately, we
have seen it all before – we have noticed all their undemocratic and
fraudulent manipulations.” Mr Buhari said that the proper registration
of members will uniquely permit the party to conduct the most
transparent party congress even known in Sub-Sahara Africa and by
extension in Nigeria.

He added that the exercise is a
fundamental stepping stone to positioning the CPC for victory in all
tiers of government in the upcoming 2011 electoral competition.

“Considering that we are conducting
this exercise before any other political party in the country, we take
delight as a truly world-class democratic party, to set the standard
for other democratic forces in the country to follow,” he said.

Mr Buhari also urged party faithful to
participate in the membership registration so that they can assert
their membership in the party congresses, as part of the bid to jointly
defend its votes during the general elections.