APC chieftain kicks against NASS imposing direct primaries on parties

By Musa Baba Adamu

A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Sam Nkire, has kicked against the move by the National Assembly to impose direct primaries on political parties.

In a statement he issued to journàlists yesterday in Abuja, Nkire, therefore warned members of the National Assembly against overriding the President’s veto on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021, saying it was wrong to force political parties to adopt direct primaries as the only option.

According to him, the direct primary election system is not only expensive and cumbersome to actualise, but also subjects the political parties to excessive legislation and control.

He said “It is wrong to force political parties to adopt direct primaries as the only method of choosing candidates for elections.

“My rejection of compulsory direct primaries is not only because it is expensive and cumbersome to actualize but also subjects the political parties to excessive legislation and control.

“The legislative branch of government should be cautioned against the temptation of taking away the rights of political parties to choose their modus operandi in the course of carrying out their rightful duties. Direct primary should be a matter of choice and not compulsion.

“No reasonable party would want to field a candidate it considered incapable of winning an election, no matter the force of law,” Nkire, also a former national chairman of the defunct Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), said.

The APC chieftain expressed confidence that constitutionally established institutions such as political parties should be able to make wise and justifiable decisions, regarding the candidates they chose for elections or be ready to face the rule of law if they do otherwise.

He, however, commended the National Assembly for choosing and legislating on the transmission of election results electronically, saying it is in accordance with the norm in the modern world.

He also commended the judiciary for whipping in line, political parties, which flout their own rules and procedures of selecting candidates for elections, by handing down impeccable judgements meant to serve as a deterrent.