PROFESSOR Omo Omoruyi is a political scientist and former Director General of the Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS). He spoke to ALEMMA-OZIORUVA ALIU on how the polity could benefit from free and fair elections.Edo's recent guber election gave some hope that after all, democracy could still work; do you see any hope'I have said it before that something is wrong with the PDP that we don't know; it is very clear today that PDP is in crisis, it is dying. Then Jonathan should be the one to pick up, he should be the one to decide where he wants to go; he is the one that is going to run for office, does he want a second term in 2015'But if he leaves it to the people who are running the PDP now, I doubt if he can make it, but if we rely on one person one vote, he stands a better chance of trying a new political arrangement because those who are running the PDP now are not those who believe in one person one vote; they don't.I have nothing against them, but if you look at them, these are people who have never benefited from one person one vote, who have never worked for one person one vote; so if there is any lesson we learnt from Edo state, chief Anenih, with all greatest respect has never believed in one person one vote; Ogbemudia has never believed in one person one vote, Esama has never believed in one person one vote. So, which means in other states where you have characters like that, then distance yourself from them. Is he going to' That is for Jonathan to answer if Jonathan relies on Anenih kind of people elsewhere, it is a recipe for disaster, he should now try and look for young people. He should look for young consultants, not these people who call themselves party leaders to organise a future for him.President Jonathan supports one person one vote; do you think he is truthfully deepening democracy'Yes he is doing that and of course that is what we need; 'one person one vote', that is what we need and I think it is going to work and Jonathan should make it work. It is just one person one vote in respect to voting, it is one person one vote even in respect to nomination, which means, do away with all these things you call zoning, do away with 'turn by turn', because if you want to go by 'turn by turn', it will not be Jonathan, it will have to be something else and that is where he will have to say, 'look I am going to the Nigerian people for nomination, I am going to Nigerian people for vote.' He will have to be the one to make that kind of statement; it is Jonathan who will, not party leaders. Party leaders as is presently constituted today, they cannot help him; these are the people my good friend, the Governor of Edo state call godfathers. These godfathers who have never stood for an election; they are all over the country and therefore run away from them because they are dangerous.Ondo election is two months away, do you expect another Edo scenario'This is worth studying because it is going to be a three corner fight; LP of Iroko, ACN and the PDP; INEC will have to make sure that it positioned its people to deal with this three corner fight; who will win, I don't know, it is anybody's fight and it is going to be an election that everybody will be watching.I know as of fact that Mimiko wanted to join the ACN but Obasanjo said no, that is how he went to Labour. I know ACN people have been anxious for him to come back but he refused and then you find all kinds of bad language being used; and what I saw yesterday indicated that Falae and Co have now gone to Labour, it is going to be tough fight because the Tinubu of the universe are all going to go out, PDP seems to be the third party there, but it is not going to do well.What are your expectations between now and 2015, do you expect a better democratic development between'Between now and 2015, the President should work for two party system, he should lead the PDP, he should re-structure the PDP, ACN should restructure itself and then we will have two parties. I have always been a two party man and that is the only thing that can save us in the country. PDP as currently constituted would need to be restructured; if somebody says if PDP dies democracy will die in this country, that is wrong. If PDP dies, something else will emerge. ACN should restructure itself, it should spread, it should go out and build a relationship with other people; ACN should also look for a candidate from the South-South to compete with Jonathan if Jonathan will remain with the PDP. So we need a competitor from the South-South to compete with Jonathan in 2015. Maybe Comrade (Adams Oshiomhole), yes, if you want to hear that ...this are things you can expect. Who says Edo man cannot be president. If Comrade is President today, I can assure you this country will run better, yes I trust him. I know him, though it is too early to be talking about that, but I can tell you that Comrade is going to be a good material that ACN can use. ACN should go and search for a good running mate for Comrade, from the North; then you will have two tickets I don't whether Jonathan will still rely on Sambo for second term; that is the kind of things we need, we don't need all these numerous political parties, we don't need more than two parties what do we need all these parties for' These parties should search their likes and work together. There is the ACN tendency, there is the PDP tendency, this two tendencies, people should rally round them; Jonathan should lead one direction and ACN under anybody will the other direction and people will have something to choose from.
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