Despite growing concern among governors and members of the National Assembly about the direct primary, Senator Kabir Gaya, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has praised the agency for supporting the idea as the best way to deepen the nation’s democracy.
Gaya, speaking on a television program following the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which requires political parties to select their candidates for elective positions through direct primaries, said the option will eliminate god-fatherism and allow the people to choose their leaders without undue influence.
The senator denied any running battle with the governors over the bill, claiming that the direct primary is the best option for Nigerians. The lawmaker also expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari, who believes in giving people power, will sign the bill into law without delay.
“The essence of amending any act was to improve the act,” he explained. The amendment was created to address some of the issues that are commonly associated with our elections.
“In fact, the direct primary is essentially intended to give power to the grassroots, which is something the president prefers as a democrat who believes that power should be with the people.”
However, indications are that governors from both parties are opposed to the idea. This was brought to light following a meeting of governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday under the auspices of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), during which the states’ chief executives vehemently rejected the National Assembly’s resolution.
They also stated that they would meet with the leaders of both chambers of parliament to persuade them to review the resolution before submitting the Electoral Act 2010 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2021 to President Muhammadu Buhari for presidential assent.
The Conference Committee on the Electoral Act 2010 Repeal and Re-enactment Bill has yet to submit its report to the National Assembly leadership.
Last month, the Senate joined its counterpart in the House of Representatives in enacting Section 87 on mandatory direct primaries for all political parties.
“A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Bill shall hold direct primaries for aspirants to all elective positions, which shall be monitored by the Commission,” states Section 87(1) of the bill.
The APC 2014 Constitution (as amended) provides for direct, indirect, and consensus options for the selection of party candidates for general elections.
While a direct primary involves all party members participating in the selection of party candidates, an indirect primary involves the use of delegates, who are usually leaders and members of the executive from ward, local government, to state levels, to elect the party’s candidate(s) at a congress or convention.
Kebbi State Governor and PGF Chairman, Atiku Abubakar Bagudu, told reporters after the meeting at the Kebbi State Governors Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, that the governors expressed strong reservations about the National Assembly’s resolution on direct primaries.
Bagudu argued that political parties should be allowed to choose the best option for them. He also stated that the resolution violated the spirit of President Buhari’s Executive Order, which forbids large gatherings in the aftermath of the global pandemic, Coronavirus.
He claimed that direct primaries were too time-consuming and unwieldy, and that they would strain INEC’s limited resources, which are statutorily mandated to oversee primaries held by various political parties.
