Politics
APC, PDP Kick As NASS Approves Direct Primaries
Both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed reservations about the decision by the National Assembly to mandate political parties to adopt direct primaries in selecting candidates for election in the Electoral Act Amendment bill it passed yesterday.
Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi and chairman, Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), said that adopting direct primaries by political parties would overstretch the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said this while speaking with newsmen at the end of a closed-door meeting held by members of the PGF on Monday night.
The PGF is an umbrella body of serving governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The National Assembly has adopted Section 87 on mandatory direct primaries for all parties.
Bagudu said the decision by INEC to make it mandatory for political parties to elect their candidates for elective positions through direct primaries could be undemocratic.
He said the Forum discussed problems associated with direct primaries, noting that there had been concerns that political parties were voluntary organisations.
The governor said the concern of the governors is that if you limit the abilities of parties to choose options that they so desired, “that may even be arguably undemocratic”.
He explained that this was because nothing stops one party from adopting one or the other.
The PGF chairman said the meeting, among other things, reviewed developments in the polity and in the APC states especially, as well as the party’s membership registration and the congresses that had successfully been conducted.
The chairman appreciated the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) for the success of the congresses, for supporting APC states and for taking steps to resolve issues wherever they arose.
“In particular, the governors were appreciative of the CECPC because of its respect for President Muhammadu Buhari’s expectations that they should support the party bottom-up, and I think that had been achieved in the last exercise.
“Equally, we reviewed the congresses and advised on how we think it should strengthen our democracy,” he said, noting that the party’s planned National Convention was in progress.
He described as a big milestone the just-concluded APC state congresses, saying that the appeals processes had also been conducted.
“I believe that, soon, the party will inaugurate all the state executives, and then some of the outstanding congresses that are to take place in Zamfara and Oyo states and three other states will be concluded.
“Then we are on our way to setting a date for the National Convention,” he said.
Present at the meeting were governors of Nasarawa, Kano, Kebbi, Ekiti, Plateau, Yobe, Kogi, Ebonyi, Gombe and Osun states, while Lagos and Ondo state governors were represented by their deputies.
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the direct primary system for nomination of candidates for elections by political parties recently passed by the National Assembly.
The national publicity secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, while reacting to the issue of mandatory direct primaries said: “Our party holds that it is the inalienable right of each political party, within the context of our constitutional democracy, to decide its form of internal democratic practices, including the processes of nominating its candidates for elections at any level.
He added that no political party should force its own processes on any other political party, as the direct primaries’ amendment, a practice of the ruling APC, sought to achieve.
“Having stated this, the PDP shall, within the next 48 hours, make its final decision in respect of this amendment.”
This came as the National Assembly yesterday passed the harmonised version of the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment Bill, approving direct primary elections for political parties and also gave the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the nod for electronic voting and electronic transmission of election results.
With this, the National Assembly has laid to rest the vexed issue of the mode of primaries to be adopted by the various political parties for the emergence of their candidates in the 2023 general election.
It also, as contained in clause 52 of the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 earlier recommended by the Senate, gave INEC approval for the usage of technological/electronic devices in the conduct of elections and transmission of results.
Concurrence to this effect by both chambers of the National Assembly followed adoption of a report of Conference Committees set up by the Senate and the House of Representatives in July this year by the Senate in plenary on Tuesday.
A total of 21 clauses as presented by the leader of the Senate Committee on Harmonisation, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi ( APC, Kebbi North) , were harmonised by either adopting the one earlier adopted by the Senate or House of Representatives .
Yahaya Abdullahi in presenting the report said: “The objective of the Conference Committee was a reconciliation of the differences in a few clauses of the bill as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“The clauses are 1, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 31, 36, 43, 49, 50, 52, 63, 76, 87, 97, 98, 117 and 135
The Tide source reports that Prof. Akinoso was elected alongside 38 other executive members of the party at the congress held on Saturday.
Other executive members are Dr Abiola Olaonipekun, who emerged as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu, Women Leader and Mr A. Adeleke, elected as Youth Leader.
It was learnt that the congress, which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado in Ibadan, was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, other security agencies and prominent members of the party.
The election was supervised by electoral committee members, among whom were Prince Diran Odeyemi, who served as Chairman, Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun, Mr Olumide Aguda and Dr Phillips Adeniyi, who served as Secretary.
Prof. Akinoso, in his inaugural address, urged members of the party to set aside intra-party differences.
He advised them to concentrate their resources on the promotion of the party, saying, “The primary responsibilities of party executive members are to coordinate party activities, ensure harmony among members, and ensure party victory during general elections.
“Our immediate assignments are to key into INEC released 2027 general election time-tables. As directed by the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, our party e-membership registration starts next week. We must be fully involved and do a membership drive.
“A political party is only relevant and benefits its members if it wins the election. This is our goal. We should set aside intra-party differences; concentrate our resources towards the promotion of the party. We will make necessary consultations and dialogue to actualise this”.
President Tinubu disclosed this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He also disclosed that his administration had opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
“There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money, but how they use it is in your hands. So, don’t bombard me alone,” President Tinubu said.
The ruling party said the ADC had turned criticism of the APC-led administration into its operating manifesto instead of presenting concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, the party dismissed the ADC’s interpretation of a report presented at a policy dialogue organised by Agora Policy which suggested that the country’s poverty rate had risen from 49 per cent to 63 per cent.
Mr Morka said the opposition party’s reaction to the report as a “damning verdict” on the government’s economic policies reflected either ignorance of economic realities or deliberate political mischief.
“The African Democratic Congress’ attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise of poverty rate of 63 per cent from 49 per cent as a damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” he said.
The APC spokesman noted that the report itself recognised the necessity of reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural distortions in the economy.
According to him, the ADC had failed to present any credible alternative policy direction for Nigerians.
“Clearly, the ADC does not recognise itself as a political party. The ADC has not articulated a single alternative policy position or prescription of benefit to Nigerians. Condemning the APC and its policies has become its operating manifesto,” Mr Morka said.
He explained that major economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows, were necessary steps to rescue the country’s economy from collapse.
Mr Morka said the subsidy regime had for years placed a heavy burden on public finances, consuming trillions of naira annually while encouraging corruption, fuel smuggling and inefficiencies in the system.
He added that the reforms had helped redirect national resources to key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The APC spokesman acknowledged that economic reforms often come with short-term hardship but stressed that the measures were essential to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
“Economic reform is never cost-free anywhere in the world. The transient hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Morka maintained that the country’s economic outlook was already improving, citing recent growth figures and stronger external reserves.
“Our economy has rebounded and is expanding steadily. The country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.4 per cent last year and is projected to expand by 5.5 per cent this fiscal year, with foreign reserves now exceeding $50 billion,” he stated.
He also pointed to government initiatives designed to cushion the effects of economic adjustments on citizens, including cash transfer programmes, student loan schemes and the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives to reduce transportation costs.
Mr Morka reaffirmed that the APC-led administration would remain focused on rebuilding the economy and expanding social investments to support vulnerable Nigerians.