Senate Directs PDP, APC, APGA, Others To Use Direct Primary Mode

The Senate on Tuesday approved that all political parties must use the direct primary mode in picking candidates.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that the senate approved four clauses in the electoral act amendment bill.

Recall that former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had noted that while Nigerians are concerned about the absence of electronic transmission of results in the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act, there is another potential problem in the Act that may clog the nation’s electoral process.

While identifying this problem in the proposed law as the provision which makes direct primaries compulsory for parties, he urged members of the National Assembly to save the country from the trouble that will be caused by the proposal to make direct primaries compulsory.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that Saraki, who stated this in a statement issued yesterday by his spokesman, Yusuph Olaniyonu, observed that many of the political parties lack the necessary infrastructure to successfully conduct direct primaries at all levels, while the attempt would lead to litigations that might jeopardize the general election.

The former Senate President, who urged federal lawmakers not to create a new problem in a bid to solve another, said the direct primaries option will also put pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose officials must monitor all the primary elections.