Electoral act amendment: No party has right to impose its processes on another

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has declared that no political party has the right to force its own processes on any other political party like the direct primaries amendment, a practice of the All Progressives Congress (APC), sought to achieve, on another.

The party said this in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja.

The main opposition party stated these in reaction to the news of the passage of the harmonized electoral act amendment bill, which among other things, provided for direct primaries for nomination of candidates for elections by political parties.

The PDP posited that it is the inalienable right of each political party, within the context of the nation’s constitutional democracy, to decide its form of internal democratic practices including the processes of nominating its candidates for elections at any level.

The PDP revealed that it shall, within the next 48 hours, make its final decision in respect of this amendment known.

The statement by Ologbondiyan reads, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has received the news of the passage of the harmonized electoral act amendment bill, which among other things, provided for direct primaries for nomination of candidates for elections by political parties.

“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.

“The PDP also believes that no political party should force its own processes on any other political party as the direct primaries amendment, a practice of the All Progressives Congress (APC), sought to achieve.

‘Having stated this, the PDP shall, within the next 48 hours, make its final decision in respect of this amendment known”