A veteran activist and founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Dr. Otive Igbuzor has called on the National Assembly (NASS) to Expunge the contentious Direct Primary Clause from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and return same to President Muhammadu Buhari to Assent into law.
He also argued that the issue of Direct or Indirect Primary election is a non issue as it is not weighty enough to kill the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, pointing out that the mode of electing party candidates should not override the many positives contained in the Bill.
Dr. Igbuzor who is currently the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege spoke on African Independent Television (AIT) breakfast programme Kakaaki on Tuesday.
The activist who may be speaking with the benefit of the hindsight said that the easiest way to get the Bill to be Assented to by President Buhari is for NASS members to as a matter of urgency expunge the Direct Primary Clause and return the Bill to the President to give his Assent.
According to him: ” the task before the National Assembly now is to quickly expunge the Direct Primary Clause from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill when they resume on January 18 and take the Bill back to Mr. President in same January to Assent before February to allow INEC prepare for the upcoming elections”.
Dr. Igbuzor insists that pursuing the part of overriding the President will be futile attempt and waste of time, arguing that he does not think NASS can gather enough votes to override the President because members will vote along party lines.
Said he: “We have not been able to Amend the Electoral Act Amendment Bill since 1999. It is very difficult task to embark on that mission even in the present circumstances hence the best option is for NASS members irrespective of political parties to close ranks to ensure that they give Nigerians a new Electoral Bill by expunging the Direct Primary Clause which Mr. President complained about and send it back to him to give Assent”.
Accordingto him if by any reason President Buhari fails to Assent to the Bill by before 2023 General Election, the entire Nigeria will suffer huge consequences because the reforms contained in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 will not be implemented by INEC and the elections will be marred by many problems the new Bill is seeking to correct”.
Dr. Igbuzor also argued that internal party democracy is lacking in Nigeria hence both the Direct and Indirect Primary elections are prone to heavy manipulations by political parties, warning that if the lawmakers fail to do the needful the country will suffer huge political deficits that will retard the electoral growth of Nigeria.
