PDP Rejects Senate’s Adoption Of Direct Primary For Party Elections

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the adoption of the direct primary for picking candidates for elections in political parties.

Naija News reports that the National Publicity Secretary of the opposition party, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this in a statement on Tuesday.

This news medium had reported that the Senate on Tuesday approved that all political parties must use the direct primary for the election of candidates.

But according to the PDP, the Senate decision to adopt direct primary is a hindrance to the development of democratic norms, and a plot to introduce anarchy in parties.

The PDP stated that the adoption is a retrogressive provision that seeks to wipe off the gains achieved in the nation’s electoral practice since 1999.

It said such the direct primary was not operable and does not reflect the wishes and aspirations of the majority of Nigerians, asking the Senate to immediately reverse itself on the decision.

The statement reads: “The decision by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled Senate is a humongous blow to the development of democratic norms, and a plot to introduce anarchy during internal party elections as currently obtainable in the APC.

“The PDP holds that the provision is aimed at increasing the costs of nomination procedures thereby surrendering the processes to money bags against the wishes and aspiration of Nigerians.

“Our party makes bold to state that with the exception of the APC, which intends to deploy looted funds in future elections, hardly will there be any political party that will be able to raise the cost of conducting internal elections under a direct primary process.

“We, therefore, urged the Senate to immediately deploy its appropriate legislative instruments to reverse itself on the direct primary.

“The PDP stressed that such a mode of conducting primary was not operable and does not reflect the wishes and aspirations of the majority of Nigerians.”