New national and state legislators in Osun State have been advised to be disciplined and selfless in the discharge of their legislative duties.
They were also charged to uphold the tenets of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, on whose platform they were elected.
Addressing the new lawmakers at a two-day seminar entitled: “The role of political parties in the sustenance of democracy” and organised for them in Osogbo, the chairman, Igbimo Agba of Osun APC, Engr. Sola Akinwumi, stressed that the popularity of a party and its ability to win elections depend on the acceptability of its core ideological value.
According to him, the party supremacy is basic to democratic governance and a candidate is elected because the electorate considers that the party’s programmes are the most preferred.
He said: “Every member is subject to the party, no matter how rich or educated a party member or an elected official is, he or she is under the control of the party.”
While stressing the need for party members to be good ambassadors, he noted that party discipline is one of the necessary conditions for an effective and responsible party administration.
He continued: “The series of crisis plaguing the APC in many states today are the result of indiscipline among the leaders and members of the party.
“The lack of cohesion and discipline with the ruling APC led to a string of defections and some electoral losses just as it happened to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”
The elder statesman said parties must be allowed to operate in accordance with their core values in order to be able to entrench their supremacy and enforce disciplines.
He called on the newly elected legislators to do a critical analysis of the effect of money on their elections and see whether such an exercise can be sustained for a long time.
He also tasked the progressive minded party members, as a matter of fact, to take the issue of party financing seriously.
In his address, the state governor, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, who expressed gratitude to the organisers of the programme, noted that it came at a time that relationship between political parties and their legislators needed an adjustment.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Benedict Alabi, thanked the present and previous leaderships of the party, the legislature and the executive for their good characters that have delivered peace and sustainable development to the state.
He emphasised the need for party decisions to flow from bottom up so that members can identify with decisions taken and enjoyed a sense of belonging.
He said: “The character of a party determines the worth of its elected members and, consequently, the value of their services to the people.
“The party must regularly engage in intellectual and functional discourse to provide well thought out and people-oriented policies, direction and guidance.”
He charged the new legislators and party members to resolve to implementing the outcomes of the seminar so that the collective mandate of the party can be proudly delivered.
Source: The Nation