Amadi in rejecting the PDP Campaign Council appointment, cited conflict of interests.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Smarting from the uncertainties surrounding his 2023 ambition following the absence of five governors from his campaign flag-off in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Sunday, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had another shock following the rejection of his appointment of Dr. Sam Amadi, former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), as the Director of Research for his Campaign Council.
The governors that stayed away from the PDP campaign kick-off were, Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).
Amadi, a lawyer, renowned academic and public affairs commentator, turned down the offer which was announced last week by the party, citing conflict of interest. Amadi, in a letter to the Aminu Tambuwal, Director General of the PDP-CC, dated Monday, October 10, cited his membership of some critical bodies that required him to be politically non-aligned in order to make effective contribution to them and provide leadership in others.
Among these positions is being a Director, Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts (ASSPT): Being in the Political and Strategy Committee of the Christian Association of Nigeria; and being an analyst on Arise News. Being in these positions, Amadi said, required that he remained neutral in the 2023 politics.
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The letter reads:
October 10, 2022
Governor Aminu Tambuwal
Director General
PDP Presidential Campaign Council
Abuja
Your Excellency,
Non-Acceptance of Appointment as Director of Research for the PDP Presidential Campaign Committee
Greetings and compliments!
First, many thanks for the offer to be the Director of Research for the PDP Presidential Campaign Committee for the 2023 presidential election. I consider it a great honour to be considered fit for such a high office of a great presidential committee. I am also delighted that the committee is headed by a man of your character and pedigree, someone I have had the honour and privilege of working with in the past. I have no doubt that you will, as always, make a huge success of this opportunity.
Notwithstanding that I am honoured to be appointed as one of the directors to work with you, I humbly want to decline the appointment, and hereby abstain from participating in such a role. The decision to decline the offer has stemmed from the conflicts of interest emanating from various responsibilities in which I act as a leader of different platforms where political neutrality and objectivity are required of me. These platforms are as follows:
The Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts (ASSPT):
As Director of the school, I bear the responsibility to lead a group of intellectuals and scholars of diverse political and ideological stripes with a commitment to rethink the nature of the social, political, and economic crises of statehood in Africa, and to develop new ideas and policies to transform Nigeria and other African societies. The school is working on a detailed review of the economic plans of the leading candidates and their manifestos on how to enhance Nigeria’s electoral democracy. This clearly requires me to maintain a high degree of non-partisanship.
The Political and Strategy Committee of the Christian Association of Nigeria:
As the Secretary of the Committee, I bear responsibility to support other distinguished Christian leaders to guide the leadership of the Christian community to work together with leaders of other faiths to fashion a common agenda for justice, freedom, unity, and prosperity of the Nigerian state. As part of this responsibility, I helped to put together The Charter for A New Nigeria, a non-partisan, not denominational Christian vision of justice, fairness, freedom, and prosperity for all Nigerian peoples and citizens. Members of the committee have different political views and interests, and my leadership needs to be non-partisan in order to be effective. An acceptance of this appointment will undermine the neutrality expected of my standing and membership of the committee.
Arise News:
For some years I have been an analyst on Arise News, which I consider one of the most strategic institutions for national development and sane deliberative democracy through analytical news reporting. My role in that reputable media platform also requires non-partisanship, even as I am free to express my opinions.
I greatly cherish these institutional roles and believe that they require me to maintain the non-partisanship posture that has allowed me to provide insights that have helped both institutions and critical stakeholders deliver on their mandates. Whereas as a policy expert, I am free to offer ideas and insights to a presidential campaign, I believe that the level of objectivity I am identified with in these strategic roles will be compromised if I am to become a director of a political party’s presidential campaign. I know that in developed democracies, non-partisans are often coopted into presidential campaigns to offer professional services without compromising their objectivity and intellectual neutrality. But Nigeria is not yet at this stage in our politics.
In all these premises, again, I humbly plead that I will not be able to accept the offer and appointment. My rejection of the offer is in no way a vote of no confidence in the PDP presidential campaign or a rejection of the virtues of the members of that great party and its presidential candidate. You may recall that when you were an aspirant for the presidential candidacy of the PDP during the period of the primaries, I provided you with professional advice, believing that Mr. Peter Obi and you were the best candidates in that race, who could solve the crises of the Nigerian state. I also believed that the PDP presented the best pan-Nigerian platform for national salvation, considering its nationalistic outlook and liberal orientation. As a nationalist, I am interested in political platforms that can mobilize the diverse Nigerian peoples towards a common vision of democratic citizenship. As a liberal in politics, I believe that Nigeria needs a party that respects its religious and ethnic diversities and guarantees each citizen fairness and equality. As an institutionalist, I believe that Nigeria needs a political organization with a good bureaucracy to drive development and stability. The PDP checks these boxes and fulfills, in more than one measure, these values.
I recognize the appointment is somewhat an acknowledgement of the role I have played in the past, as a technocrat and from a professional standpoint, to help the party to develop ideas for development. My relationship with the PDP started with my appointment as Special Adviser to Senator Ken Nnamani when he was elected Senate President. I continued with Chief Ojo Maduekwe advising him, first as Secretary of the PDP, and later as Foreign Affairs Minister. In these roles, I worked with other people in the PDP Reform Committee put together by President Obasanjo to turn the party into a developmentalist platform in the fashion of some Asian countries. Although I was not a party member, I continued to support the work of the then ruling party through its think-tank, the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI). I was engaged in these activities as an ‘ideas man’, in order to build a veritable policy making institution that will guarantee development for the country. It is partly in recognition of these technical roles and support to the party to generate ideas for transformation that President Goodluck Jonathan appointed me Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Interestingly, the APC government has also once head-hunted me to chair the Ad-Hoc Senate Committee on Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Bill and the Senate Committee on the Reform of the Transport Sector in an ad-hoc capacity
Your Excellency, I have gone to this great length to express my gratitude for the honour done to me by this important appointment. In all essence, I regret that I will not be able to accept the appointment because of the responsibility of political non-partisanship arising from my leadership and roles in several non-partisan platforms.
I wish you and the campaign the best of luck.
Yours truly,
Dr Sam Amadi
Director, Abuja School