IPAC: We’re not sufficiently ripe, prepared for direct primaries

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has declared that Nigerian political parties are not ready for direct primaries as a mode of choosing candidates for elections.

Therefore, IPAC advised the National Assembly to expunge the clauses regarding direct primaries in the 2021 Electoral Amendment Bill, for it to be signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

IPAC is the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria.

IPAC National Chairman, Yabagi Sani, who spoke at a news conference on Monday in Abuja, said: “While many may not concede to the explanation of security challenges given by the president, it will be difficult however, to disagree with him on the reason of complex logistics and huge financial burden that direct primary elections will imply for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Many have canvassed the view that no amount of money should be considered too high in the efforts to sanitise the nation’s electoral process and that the legislature should, therefore, invoke its veto powers to overrule the president.

“To us in IPAC, such an action may be tantamount to a wholesale wrecking of the boat.

“We are of the view that, much as we may cherish its perceived benefits, the country at this stage of its democracy, does not appear to be sufficiently ripe and prepared for the direct primary election model in the selection of political party flag bearers.

“Also, against the backdrop of the president’s decisive aversion to this particular provision of the electoral bill, the use of veto by the legislature may merely result in a fruitless exercise if at the end of the day, its implementation is not supported by the required funding by the executive,” he said.

Sani said that the lawmakers might have acted as interlopers by trying to run political parties from the hallowed chambers.

“We believe and wish to accordingly admonish that as elected officials, the National Assembly and executive arms should be rather more concerned about ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and how to reduce the costs of democratic practices and make our democracy more resilient.

“The way out of the logjam, in our view in the IPAC, is for the shifting of grounds by the legislature and the executive arms of government for a compromise and amicable resolution resulting in a win-win scenario.

“This should not be a difficult task given that the two arms are incidentally controlled by the same political party, the APC.

“The IPAC is accordingly, recommending that the Legislature should accede to the expunging of the clauses regarding direct primary election thereby saving the other equally important provisions among which, is the one on the mandatory electronic transmission of election results by INEC,” Sani said.