Osoba Urges Buhari to Sign New Electoral Act, Supports Direct Primary

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

A former governor of Ogun State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Olusegun Osoba, has thrown his weight behind direct primary as a means of selecting candidates of all political parties as contained in the newly passed electoral amendment act and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the amended act bill into law.

Addressing a delegation of Senators across the political parties and geo-political zones of Nigeria, who visited him in London to wish him speedy recovery from a knee surgery, Osoba appealed to Buhari to sign it because he too is a product of direct primary.

“I have a feeling that he will sign it. The president himself is a product of direct primary. He submitted himself to direct primary in 2019 and heaven did not fall. After he subjected himself to direct primary in all the wards, he also subjected himself to a National Convention to ratify his election at the primary.

“And quote me, I had cause to tell him at our National Caucus during Edo election that, ‘Mr. President, if you can subject yourself to direct primary and at the National Convention, I do not see why anybody should be afraid of direct primary,” Osoba said

The former governor stated that the 9th National Assembly had done very well for the country in supporting what they thought was right for the executive and the country, adding that this was a payback time for the executive to reciprocate with the overwhelmingly passed electoral law to include direct primary.

“In the case of direct primary, we are running a presidential system of government patternedafter that of the United States of America. It is direct primary of USA that we copied. Why are we selective? If we don’t want direct primary, then let us go back to parliamentary system of government like India, where party caucuses select candidates.

“We cannot be selective on some aspects of the Presidential system that we practice while jettisoning what is its democratic content. I am confident that the President as a product of direct primary will do the right thing. I want to commend all of you.

“We need to democratise. The idea of ‘we’ governors handpicking should stop. Let the people have a say. I commend the 9th National Assembly and appeal to the President in the interest of the country and democracy to sign the new electoral law,” Osoba said.

Among the senators that visited him were Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West), Senator Kashim Shetima (APC, Borno Central), Senator Isah Jubril (APC, Kogi East), Senator Micheal Nnachi (PDP, Ebonyi South), Senator Ayo Akinyelure (PDP, Ondo Central), Senator Gershon Bassey (PDP, Cross River South), Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (APC, Taraba Central), Senator Sadiq Sulaiman Umar (APC, Kwara North), Senator Tokunbo Abiru (APC, Lagos East), Senator Bashiru Ajibola (APC, Osun Central) and Senator Hassan Mohamed Gusau (APC, Zamfara Central).

In a related development, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), has also urged Buhari to sign and give assent to the Electoral Bill, 2021 transmitted to him by the National Assembly since 19th November 2021.

It said the president should see the signing of the Electoral Bill as an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for Nigerians.

In a statement by its Executive Director, Clement Nwankwo, PLAC stated that the bill was a product of nearly three years of work, adding that the Bill went through the entire gamut of legislative process including call for submission of memoranda, technical review, retreats and deliberations.

PLAC noted that the provisions of the new Electoral Bill sought to improve the electoral system, including the process of voting, collation and announcement of results, and generally bring about significant changes that give confidence to citizens at all levels, including the grassroots, that their votes would count and their participation in governance improved.