House of Representatives, Thursday, invited the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Yakub Mahmood, to brief it on the actual cost of monitoring direct primary elections of political parties.

Essentially, Mahmood will be interfacing with the House Committees on Electoral Matters and Appropriation for possible consideration of the cost in the 2022 Appropriation Act, still pending with the National Assembly.

The justification for the meeting was to ensure that the youths, grassroots, and majority of party members will not be shut out from political processes as already envisaged by the new electoral bill awaiting the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari.

It will be recalled that INEC had raised concerns on the financial implications in deploying their staff to monitor the primaries, whenever and wherever they will occur nationwide.

The outcome of the meeting will largely determine the feasibility or otherwise of the new electoral system.

Considering a motion titled “Urgent Need to Invite the INEC Chairman to Brief the House Committees on Electoral Matters and Appropriation on the Actual Cost of Direct Primaries for Possible Consideration in the 2022 Budget”, moved by Leke Abejide at the plenary.

Presenting the motion, Abejide recalled that the Electoral Bill has been passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly, waiting for Presidential assent to become Law.

He said: “The Bill is very critical to the sustainability of our democracy as the aspect of direct primaries will open up the political space for the youths and largely the members of all political parties to participate in all electoral processes starting from primary elections to the general elections.

“Countless complaints of the cost implications of direct primaries but the benefits to my mind outweighed the cost implications.

“However, it is pertinent to give opportunity to Chairman, Independent Electoral Matters Commission (INEC) to interface with both Committees on Electoral Matters and Appropriation in order for the Nation to know what will cost the country through INEC in order to put to rest the insinuations of different figures flying around that is so humongous to undertake direct primaries which may not be correct after all.

“We are all aware of the importance of direct primary and how it will transfer power to the real people, where they will be able to select or elect the people that will represent them from the presidency down to the councillorship.

“And there have been a lot of noise about the cost implications. People have been saying that it will gulp N500bn but this is just a hearsay, as nobody has ever sat down to check the actual cost that it is going to cost the nation.

“It may be something that is within the capacity of the budget of INEC or something that we can even appropriate for in this period that we are still considering this budget.

“So, it is important for us to invite the Chairman of INEC to meet with the Committees on INEC in this hallowed chamber, and that on Appropriations, for him to be able to tell them what is going to cost to do this direct primary.”

The motion, which received the overwhelming support of the House, was later adopted.

nzeobi:
Direct primaries that you don't know number of people that will be voting.
Direct primaries that if rigged can't be rejected by Inec.
Direct primaries that can not hold in many parts of the country cos of insecurity.

Direct primaries that someone will write results from one corner and announce results, if you doubt ask people who participated in APC guber primaries in imo,osun and Lagos

IgbosDestroynSA:

Wherever direct primary can not hold. Main election can not hold there don’t you think?
You guys sha want to collect Atiku dollars.

nzeobi:
Direct primaries that you don't know number of people that will be voting.
Direct primaries that if rigged can't be rejected by Inec.
Direct primaries that can not hold in many parts of the country cos of insecurity.

Direct primaries that someone will write results from one corner and announce results, if you doubt ask people who participated in APC guber primaries in imo,osun and Lagos

FreeStuffsNG:
Direct Primaries is the way to go. The President should please sign the bill.

Don't mind the naysayers, Direct Primaries is actually cheaper but trust politicians, especially the state Governors, to have a sinister reason for attempting to confuse some people.

Because most of them lack legitimacy, they pay so much in indirect primaries system to buy loyalty from ward level to the state assembly so they can fight their political opponents in federal executive council, national assembly and national executive council of their political parties.


The prolonged and perennial fights the Edo State Governor, HE Godwin Obaseki, has with his political opponents is traced to the indirect primaries system that foisted him on PDP after allegedly parting with about 6 billion naira to buy the PDP structure in Edo State. No direct primaries to elect a gubernatorial candidate will cost N6 billion! In fact, if PDP had done direct primaries in Edo, hardly will it spend up to N100m for the organisation but the Governor allegedly paid N6 billion to buy the ticket. This is what is going on in most of the 36 states of the federation. The corruption case EFCC made against HE Fayose is traced to the problem associated with the bad indirect primaries system.

No direct primaries will cost even half of the billions HE Obaseki allegedly paid Chief Dan Orbih and Co to buy Edo PDP. He is still spending to buy loyalty to chase out his percieved opponents from Edo State PDP. So who do they think they are fooling when they say Governors oppose direct primaries because of cost? They are spending far more to buy legitimacy after getting to power through undemocratic processes !

Indirect primaries is the joker some Governors used to cheat the democratic system and take the electorates as easily dispensable and it must be stopped.

FreeStuffsNG:
Direct Primaries is the way to go. The President should please sign the bill.

Don't mind the naysayers, Direct Primaries is actually cheaper but trust politicians, especially the state Governors, to have a sinister reason for attempting to confuse some people.

Because most of them lack legitimacy, they pay so much in indirect primaries system to buy loyalty from ward level to the state assembly so they can fight their political opponents in federal executive council, national assembly and national executive council of their political parties.


The prolonged and perennial fights the Edo State Governor, HE Godwin Obaseki, has with his political opponents is traced to the indirect primaries system that foisted him on PDP after allegedly parting with about 6 billion naira to buy the PDP structure in Edo State. No direct primaries to elect a gubernatorial candidate will cost N6 billion! In fact, if PDP had done direct primaries in Edo, hardly will it spend up to N100m for the organisation but the Governor allegedly paid N6 billion to buy the ticket. This is what is going on in most of the 36 states of the federation. The corruption case EFCC made against HE Fayose is traced to the problem associated with the bad indirect primaries system.

No direct primaries will cost even half of the billions HE Obaseki allegedly paid Chief Dan Orbih and Co to buy Edo PDP. He is still spending to buy loyalty to chase out his percieved opponents from Edo State PDP. So who do they think they are fooling when they say Governors oppose direct primaries because of cost? They are spending far more to buy legitimacy after getting to power through undemocratic processes !

Indirect primaries is the joker some Governors used to cheat the democratic system and take the electorates as easily dispensable and it must be stopped.

ThinkSmarter:
Good step
Direct primary is #bae.
Whoever that is against direct primary have ulterior motive.

Indirect primary Comes with high desperation among the contestants that makes them to bribe the delegates with huge amounts of money.
Direct primary discourages desperation and encourages competence.
In indirect primary, a single person offered a token bribe will compromise the will of his people for his personal gain.

Note that Direct primary is conducted across the political wards, all the votes counted, recorded and duly signed by the INEC staff(s) on duty in the presence of the people.
People are allowed to snap the result sheet in order to make sure the figures are not altered at the local government and state level collation.

PrinceOfLagos:
Helinues , Seunmsg afamed Gbagura how market

Penguin2:


Don’t mind them.

I’ve reiterated it consistently that Direct Primaries is not feasible and hence the new electoral bill shouldn’t be assented to by the president.

Only myopic elements can’t see these issues you have raised.

Meanwhile, House of Representatives is just being a typical Nigerian institution. This invitation they are extending to INEC now is what they should have done before passing the law.

Very stupid people.

dalongjnr:
With direct primary election, the issue of buying delegates who mostly sell their conscience will not arose.
The influence of money politics will die because not politician will have the money to buy thousands or millions of people at a time.
It will make the "actual" people (electorates) to be interested in the processes of electing their leaders but sentiments instead of competence may likely play out because the minority group(mostly tribes/religion) may likely not have any influence in the processes,no matter how competent their candidates are.

ThinkSmarter:
Good step
Direct primary is #bae.
Whoever that is against direct primary have ulterior motive.

Indirect primary Comes with high desperation among the contestants that makes them to bribe the delegates with huge amounts of money.
Direct primary discourages desperation and encourages competence.
In indirect primary, a single person offered a token bribe will compromise the will of his people for his personal gain.

Note that Direct primary is conducted across the political wards, all the votes counted, recorded and duly signed by the INEC staff(s) on duty in the presence of the people.
People are allowed to snap the result sheet in order to make sure the figures are not altered at the local government and state level collation.