Direct Primary: Igini warns of 3rd-term scenario, unnecessary squabbles

INEC has no position—other than that of the extant law—on the direct primary debacle raging between parties and the National Assembly.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, said this in an interview with reporters on Sunday.

He equally dismissed the explanation the direct primary requires a lot of funding.

“As managers of the electoral process, the commission has institutional memories and knowledge of the advantages and pitfalls of the different methods of conducting party primaries,” he said.

According to him, there’s nothing inherently so good or bad about indirect or direct primary to warrant the ongoing acrimony that may affect other profound provisions of the current bill.

“We must avoid a repeat of the 3rd term situation whereby just one obnoxious item in a single Bill truncated the entire Bill,” he said.

“We must bear in mind that one common formula for success in any approach chosen depends on the sincerity of those who lead and manage these parties as well as those who participate in those primaries conducted by political parties.”

He also said that unless political party members from sincerely submit themselves to the due process they subscribe to, any hope for the success of whatever method they subscribe to or adopted would not succeed.

“From our political experience in this country, one of the biggest political challenges has been the inability of political parties to organize primaries without squabbles. Whenever they manage to do so, it has always been seen as a remarkable achievement, whereas it should be something of a routine.”

Whatever happens to the bill after President Muhammadu Buhari gives or withholds his assent will not matter as much.

He advised parties to ensure a mandatory submission, within a reasonable time, and before any primary election, certified true copies of verifiable party register of members of each Ward or delegate list for the election; and certified true copies of party guidelines for same election submitted to INEC; and published on the party website, as well as two newspapers displayed in all LGA offices of the party within the constituency of the election.