Electoral Bill: State Governors Not Against Direct Primaries – Governor Sule

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule speaks during a town hall meeting on January 16, 2022.

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, on Sunday said state governors are not against the option of direct primaries for conducting elections.

“There is a total misunderstanding that the governors are against direct primaries. The governors are definitely not against direct primaries. As a matter of fact, a lot of the states chose whether to do direct or indirect,” he said during a Citizens’ town hall on the Electoral bill on Sunday.

The Senate and the House of Representatives had on November 9, 2021, passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and approved the electronic transmission of results.

About six weeks after, President Muhammadu Buhari declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill over the direct primaries clause, informing the lawmakers of several issues with the clause.

Speaking further on the matter, Governor Sule noted that the electoral bill is more than just the direct or indirect mode of primaries for political parties.

According to him, the APC Constitution provides three modes for conducting its primaries – consensus, direct and indirect.

“It is not that the state governors are against direct. All we said was that why don’t you leave the options. The Electoral Act is far more than just direct or indirect. There are so many important things there, why are we boxing ourselves with either direct or indirect?

“Give political parties the opportunity. By the time the opportunities are given, you will be shocked in the 2023 elections, a lot of the states will still do direct,” he said.