..Governors also kick against adoption
The All Progressives Congress, (APC), has summoned the National Assembly caucus of the party to a meeting to allegedly stop the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act that would allow for direct primaries for political parties.
It was gathered that after careful consideration of the alteration to the Constitution that would compel political parties to conduct their primary elections through direct primaries, the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the party has worried that it may spell doom for the APC.
Consequently, the party, according to a source summoned the National Assembly caucus of the party to a meeting that would provide the forum, which would enable them to seek to stop the alteration. The meeting was intended to harmonise the position of the two chambers before the National Assembly harmonises its final position and passed into law.
The APC governors have also kicked against the adoption of direct primary for the election of political party flag bearers by the National Assembly.
The governors, under the auspices of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), at a meeting in Abuja on Monday night, vehemently rejected the model of the party primary.
Expressing their reservation to newsmen on Monday night after the meeting, the Chairman of the Forum, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, said the National Assembly’s decision was nothing but a usurpation of the duties of the political parties in the determination of their flag-bearers.
Bagudu said the Forum resolved that the mode of the emergence of party candidates should be the prerogative of the political parties and not an issue in the Electoral Act, arguing that the resolution was against the spirit of Executive Order signed by President Buhari, which frowns at large gatherings in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Aside from this, the PGF Chairman further argued that in the face of present economic realities, the direct primary would be too cumbersome, unwieldy and overstretch the limited resources of INEC, which is mandated to oversee primaries conducted by political parties.
Bagudu hinted of plans by the forum to meet with the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly to impress it on them to review the resolution ahead of the presentation of the Electoral Act 2010 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2021 to President Buhari for presidential assent.
On APC National Convention, Bagudu was not forthcoming on a specific date.
