Bitterness and anger continue to pervade some State governors over direct primary election which has been amended as clause 52 of the electoral amendment bill recently passed into law and now before President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
The anger manifested full blown on Monday at the governors’ meeting in Abuja as the issue which formed part of the agenda generated controversies between Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and his Nasarawa State counterpart, Engr. Abdullahi Sule.
Kogi State governor expressed his vehement rejection of the option of direct primaries by political parties as enshrined in the electoral amendment by the National Assembly lawmakers.
Bello further insisted that political parties should be given opportunity to determine their mode of primary elections, a development that his Nasarawa State counterpart was opposed to and the atmosphere immediately degenerated into tantrums and unprintable name callings as each took turn to speak on the subject matter.
On Monday, 22 ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) governors chaired by Kebbi State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu met in Abuja.
CAPITAL POST recalled that the National Assembly lawmakers finally passed into law an amended version of the Electoral Bill reflecting direct primaries without an option to be decided by political parties.
The passage of the estranged clause 52 was in tandem with the mood of citizens and opinion moulders who insisted that direct primaries would place the power of democracy in hands of the electorate to determine who they wanted as against imposition of candidates.
There were school of thought that governors and other political office holders who have credibility crisis would find it difficult to impose themselves or cronies as candidates of political parties against the will of the people.
Unfortunately, Monday’s governors’ meeting ended in deadlock over rift between Yahaya Bello and Engr. Abdullahi Sule.
The situation became messier as Engr Sule advocated for presidential power shift to Southern Nigeria in 2023. He opined that it would be in the interest of unity of the nation to allow power shift, given that the North is currently in power.
But, Bello who has since declared his ambition to contest presidency when canvassing for indirect primaries has backing of some governors and further considered Nasarawa’s submission as offensive.
The meeting was divided into two camps between those supporting direct and indirect primaries.
