Direct Primary method meant to reduce election malpractices – DG-PGF

Tom Okpe, Abuja

Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, (PGF) of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Salihu Moh’ Lukman has stated that ‘Direct Method’ of Primary election in the country is meant to reduce election malpractices in the country’s Democracy.

He said it is believed that through direct method, involving all party members, problems of imposition of leaders and candidates, vote buying, rigging, manipulation, associated with indirect methods of delegates system will be reduced.

In a statement in Abuja on Friday, titled: “Internal Party Democracy and Politics of Candidates’ Nomination”, Lukman noted that expectation is, “direct primary will bring political party leaders closer to members, and consequently citizens closer to elected representatives.

“Inability of the ruling APC to institutionalize direct method as the preferred option for electing leaders and selecting candidates of the party for election is a major source of disappointment for many party members and leaders especially, given the way all problems associated with indirect method has also, manifested in the APC.

“The campaign therefore, to get the APC return to its founding vision should be welcome by every committed party member, which may have been responsible for why President Muhammadu Buhari continued to insist that APC must be controlled by the people, on account of which he continued to push the party to adopt direct primary,” he said.

It will be recalled that, ahead of the 2019 election, President Buhari chose direct primary method to confirm his emergence as the candidate of the APC Presidential candidate for the 2019 election.

The APC Chieftain further buttressed that the APC National Convention would have been sufficient to confirm Buhari’s nomination through majority votes; instead of limiting his emergence to only delegates at the National Convention, he requested that members of the party should be allowed to participate in the process of endorsing his candidature as the Presidential Candidate of the APC for a second tenure.

“Although, many may argue that such a decision was academic exercise, it however influenced decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC), in terms of methods to be used, to produce candidates of the party for the 2019 elections at all levels.

“This is because the decisions of NEC of August 30, 2018, inspired by the position of President Buhari was that stakeholders of the party in every state should decide the method, direct, indirect or consensus, that will be used for the nomination of candidates in the states.

“Lagos, Kano and Niger States opted for the direct primary. Except for few states such as Zamfara, in virtually all the other states, the indirect method was chosen.

“Zamfara opted for consensus, which was partly responsible for all the acrimony against the choices of candidates’ that resulted in the electoral disaster that rob the party of all the hard-earned electoral victories of 2019,” Lukman stressed.

On the Electoral Act, the DG noted that both chambers of the National Assembly have passed the proposed Electoral Act amendment bill, which requires all political parties in the country to adopt the direct method of conducting party primary for the nomination of candidates, and a conference committee involving representatives of the two chambers, Senate and House of Representatives, working to harmonize the amendment.

“The expanded APC Tripartite Consultative Committee meeting of November 9 would have been expected to influence the final amendment to guide the work of the conference committee, he stated.

Lukman further emphasized that beyond the sentiments in favour of direct primary, there is need to properly outline a clear administrative framework under the law, which will guide the process and guarantee that all the bad practices associated with indirect method are eliminated.

Understandably, part of the sentiment informing actions of National Assembly members is that, Nigerians have little, or zero confidence on the disposition of party leaders, who are alleged to be under the direct control of Governors.

“Because of this perception, there is ongoing media campaign blackmailing Governors that they are the ones perpetrating all bad practices associated with indirect methods, therefore, reason why they are against the adoption of direct primary.

“The truth however is that, with state of things in APC whereby, virtually all states with serving Governors, are in charge. The proposed amended law with all its ambiguities would instead strengthen the capacity of Governors or any leader who is in control of structures of the party to manipulate the process of nominating candidates,” Lukman explained.