Senate Agrees With Buhari On Direct Primaries

Nigeria Senate has removed the clause that makes direct primary mandatory for the election of candidates in political parties from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The Senate in late 2021 passed a version of the bill and transmitted it to President Muhammadu Buhari who declined assent to the bill.
Besides the amendment to Clause 84 of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan had informed lawmakers that any further proposals for amendments would be considered and incorporated during the “clean up” of the Bill.
Senate resolved to rescind its decision on the affected Clause of the Bill as passed and re-commit same to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
Buhari had said that the mandatory use of direct primaries for all political parties in the country would be too expensive to execute, saying that it will put a financial burden on Nigeria’s slim resources.
He also expressed fears that the proposed mandatory use of direct primaries would amount to the violation of citizens’ rights and would lead to marginalisation for smaller political parties.
Buhari advised the National Assembly to look into the areas of concern and transmit the bill to him for assent.
House of Representatives speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and Lawan on Tuesday said the National Assembly would work on the proposed legislation and send it to Buhari.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday said it would not release an election timetable until the electoral act amendment had been passed.