The governor says political parties lack the financial capacity to conduct direct primaries. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to reject the direct primaries adopted by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act amendment bill for the selection of parties candidates.
Ortom who made the call when he interacted with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, said that direct primaries was not in the best interest of the country.
He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacked the required personnel to monitor the conduct of direct primaries by political parties.
READ ALSO: Sex Education: Statistics show HIV/AIDS is still real and common today
“The electoral law should allow political parties to adopt any of the processes suitable for them in conducting their primaries.
“The adoption of direct party primaries will only give the governors more power to do whatever they want,” Ortom said.
He said that political parties lacked the financial capacity to conduct direct primaries.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Assembly recently passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill adopting direct primaries for political parties in choosing their flagbearers in the election.
