Nigeria’s foremost political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have both agreed that the much-applauded Electoral Bill passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday has a snag: the use of direct primaries to nominate candidates for elections.
But many political commentators appear to back direct primaries as evidenced on social media commentaries. One authored by someone simply identified as ANTE, summarises the opinions. It reads: “PMB signing the electoral bill will be the equivalent of GEJ’s acceptance of PMB’s election prior to final announcement of the results outcome by INEC. It has the potential of revamping his image and mobilising a new population ready to review his legacy favourably.”
However, the outgoing National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, insists it is the inalienable right of each political party, within the context of the constitutional democracy, to decide its form of internal democratic practices including the processes of nominating its candidates for elections at any level.
According to the main opposition party, no political party should force its own processes on any other political party as the direct primaries amendment, a practice of the All Progressives Congress (APC), sought to achieve.
It added that “the party shall, within the next 48 hours, make its final decision in respect of this amendment known.”
Meanwhile, Channels Television is reporting that an enlarged Tripartite Committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve differences within the All Progressives Congress (APC) has disagreed on the use of direct primaries by parties to select their candidates.
At the end of the enlarged meeting on Tuesday which held in the State House and chaired by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the committee which consists of the Executive, Legislature and the APC, clearly failed to convince members of the National Assembly on the need to provide an alternative for the direct primary option.
This meeting comes hours after the passage of the electoral bill by the National Assembly which has approved direct primaries as sole mode of primaries upon which political parties will pick candidates for general elections.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello said that the governors do not have a problem with the provision but argued that it leaves the party with no alternative.
Conversely, members of the National Assembly at the meeting insist that direct primary remains the way to go because it has been working for the electorate.
Governor Bello who does not rule out the option of returning the bill, asserted that the final decision on the matter rests with President who is expected to give assent to the electoral bill.
▪︎ Additional reports by Channels Television