‘No party should impose its processes on another’ — PDP kicks against direct primaries

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says no political party has the right to impose its processes on another.

 

The party was reacting to the passing of the electoral act amendment bill by the national assembly.

 

The national assembly, earlier on Tuesday, approved the conference committee report on the electoral act amendment bill.

 

The electoral bill was passed by the lower chamber in July — after the PDP caucus staged a walkout.

 

In the conference committee report, both chambers of the national assembly approved that all political parties must use the direct primary mode in picking candidates.

 

Some stakeholders, including governors, had rejected the proposal while some agreed to it.

 

But in a statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, its national publicity secretary, the PDP said other political parties have the right to decide which form of primary they wish to adopt.

 

Ologbondiyan said the PDP was shocked over the passage of harmonised electoral act amendment bill, which among other things, provides for direct primaries for nomination of candidates for elections by political parties.

 

“Our party holds that it is the inalienable right of each political party, within the context of our constitutional democracy, to decide its form of internal democratic practices,” he said.

 

“The PDP also believes that no political party should force its own processes on any other political party as the direct primaries amendment, a practice of the APC sought to achieve.”

 

The PDP said it will within the next 48 hours make its final decision in respect of the amendment known.