Disagree with lawmakers over primaries for deputies
By Bode Olagoke
Abuja
The All Progressives Congress governors have asked the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Executive Council to be proactive in dealing with the National Assembly crises and other challenges confronting the party to ensure cohesion.
The governors spoke under the aegis of the Progressives Governors Forum yesterday in Abuja, at an interactive session it organised to deliberate on the Electoral Act 2015.
Speaking on behalf of the Forum, Co-chairman of the PGF Legislative Programme and the Kastina state Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, warned the party’s NEC to be proactive and “do the right thing at the right time” to resolve some of the crises facing the party.
He said: “With due respect sir (Segun Oni), the problems that are coming from the management of APC as regard the National Assembly, now, we are facing challenges, we are in a trying time and we have to try to consolidate this party.
“What Prof Sam Egwu said is a reflection of what is happening. The management must solidify the party. With your experience, experience of the national chairman as a former governor and former permanent secretary, he has no reason to fail. You have credentials to succeed, if you want to exonerate yourself, put the right people in the right place.
“The national chairman is a former governor, you (Fayemi) are a former governor, Lawal Shuaibu is a former senator. So, when you do well, we will say we were the ones who elected you there, but when you do badly, you are on your own.”
Speaking further in an interview with journalists, the governor said: “I want them to sit down and reconcile themselves.”
Also speaking on his assessment of the leadership’s intervention in some of the crises rocking the party, a member of the PGF Legislative Programme and expert on Electoral Act amendment, Prof. Sam Egwu, said the party must be properly governed.
“The party was properly governed before the last general elections, but the table has turned around. I won’t suffer any damage for saying this.
“Take Kogi for example, how can APC win election in 2019, when the late Audu had his own group, late Minister Ocholi had his own group and the present governor has his own?”
Earlier, the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Engr. Segun Oni, had apologised on behalf of the party leadership on the frequent crises, and promised that steps were being taken to ensure frequent interface with the lawmakers.
Also at the event, the Forum disagreed with the APC members in the National Assembly on the desirability of primary elections for deputy governor nominees.
Speaking on some grounds for amendments to ensure that Electoral Act gives a level playing ground to all, an APC lawmaker and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters and Political Parties’ Affairs, Hon. Aishatu Jibril Dukku, said there was
need for an introduction of a section in the Constitution directing political parties to equally conduct primary elections for the office of the deputy governor.
Dukku, who represents Dukku/Nafada Federal Constituency, Gombe state, said: “Being an important office recognised by the constitution whose circumstance of leave of office of absence, incapacitation or death of the governor, automatically assumed him the office by law.
“The introduction of this section will go a long way in adding credibility to the office, strengthen some sections of our laws in respect to his nomination and give him a designated role during campaigns.”
But in his reaction, Masari said such move would lead to further confusion in the corridors of power.
Masari said: “Well, we don’t want it. If you conduct election for deputy governor, you also end up conduct primary election for vice-president and vice-chairmen, there would be confusion. The issue is very clear, there has to be one leader at a time; you don’t join two heads together. If you have two heads now; the other one crying and the other one clapping.”
Explaining the reason behind the interactive session, Masari said it was important that the electoral process is made credible to create confidence in the voters, adding that “if election process is credible, Nigerians will be sure that what they voted for is what they got.”
Earlier, Oni, who represented the national chairman at the event, said electoral matters constituted “what democracy is all about,” adding that APC government would ensure that the process leading to election was acceptable to Nigerian voters.”
“The ground must be level in case we find ourselves just like the PDP is now in opposition; we may suffer for it if we don’t do it now. Therefore, we must make electoral act perfect. Our own, as a party, is a free, fair and acceptable election,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Abubakar Kyari, while explaining steps taken so far, assured that the National Assembly was working to pass all the amendments into law “at least two years before the next general elections.”
