The All Progressives Congress (APC), last Thursday at its National Executive Committee (NEC), which is the highest decision making organ of the party, decided to adopt direct primary to elect the presidential flag bearer of the party in the February 2019 presidential election.
However, the party opted for direct, indirect or consensus in the governorship or other elections.
By this decision, the party has jettisoned the previous practice of restricting the election of presidential candidate to delegates only.
The direct primary would give every card carrying member of the party the opportunity to be part of electing the presidential flag bearer on the date to be announced.
Some party chieftains believe that the decision to adopt direct primary is in tandem with the party’s constitution which made provision for either direct or indirect method in the election of its flag bearer.
It is their belief also that the decision is in furtherance of President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy of transparency in doing things.
An APC chieftain in Lagos who did not want his name mentioned in the press explained that beyond the desire to establish transparency in the primary, the President’s action is to cut the excesses of those regarded as ‘powerful’ in controlling the party affairs.
“The man is very wise, I think what he wants to do is to reduce the influence of those considered as godfathers in the party because he would regard every member of the party as equal stakeholder in his emergence.
“Those who are complaining that President Buhari abandoned them after the 2015 presidential election may get the worst from him if he gets the mandate for second term in office,” he said.
He stressed that though several people are hailing the decision, those who regard themselves as having the power to decide what happens in the party may be disappointed if he returns to Aso Rock in 2019.
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Speaking on the matter, the founder of Voters’ Awareness Initiative (VAI), Wale Ogunade, described the decision of the party on direct primary as strategic, and aimed at scoring a political point against opposition political parties.
“Knowing that none of the opposition parties would be able to adopt direct method, APC wants to create in the minds of Nigerians that it is most democratic political party in the country,” he said.
Whether direct or indirect, Ogunade believed what the electorate are interested in seeing in all the political parties is internal democracy which would enable them to make the right choice at the general election.
Others believe that the adoption of direct primary for an election where President Buhari may be the sole aspirant does not mean anything.
He, however, warned that electorate had become wiser than before and could no longer be deceived by politicians who are not interested in doing things that would deepen the country’s democracy.
They further argued that it would have been accolade for APC if it had come with such option in 2015 where the party had more than one presidential aspirant because members of the party might not have options this time around.
