….Calls for urgent assent by Mr President
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Electoral Hub, an organ of the Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD), has commended the National Assembly on its swift passage of the Electoral Bill 2021.
The legislative body had previously passed the Bill and transmitted it to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent on 19 November 2021.
However, the President refused assent to the Bill primarily because of the provision that mandated political parties to conduct direct primaries.
In January 2022, both chambers of the National Assembly – the House of Representatives and the Senate – amended the Bill to the effect that the clause requiring parties to conduct direct primaries was removed. Under the amended Bill, parties can now adopt direct primaries, indirect primaries, or consensus as the mode of selecting candidates to sponsor during elections. The reworked Bill was transmitted back to the President on 31 January 2022.
In a statement, the Executive Director, Electoral Hub, Princess Hamman-Obels, maintained that the Electoral Hub has consistently argued that the electoral law should allow parties to choose the mode of primaries that is suitable for them based on their capacity in terms of funding and logistics.
“Moreover, rather than restricting parties to conducting direct primaries, it is more important to ensure that primaries, whether direct, indirect or by consensus, are transparent and credible.
“This requires parties to provide INEC with the tools it requires to monitor primaries, including a certified list of party members or a certified list of party delegates, as the case may be.
“We therefore support the National Assembly’s decision to remove the requirement of direct primaries and give parties the freedom to determine their mode of primaries.
“As the 2023 general elections are fast approaching, we urge the President to assent to the Bill as a matter of urgency. This is because INEC requires sufficient time to internalise the new law and test run it in smaller elections prior to 2023, including the Ekiti and Osun State governorship elections,” Hamman-Obels stressed.
She also pointed out that other electoral stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, and the media, also require sufficient time to plan their activities in line with the requirements of the new law.
“Furthermore, if the adjusted timelines in the new law are to be followed strictly, the Bill must be passed as soon as possible to ensure that these dates are not missed.
“It is therefore clear that quick passage of the Electoral Bill 2021 is key to the integrity and credibility of the 2023 general elections.
“We call on President Buhari to act accordingly to ensure the success of the upcoming elections,” she stated.
