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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Former secretary general of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, has said the Electoral Amendment Bill which allows direct and indirect primaries by the political parties amounted to replacing democracy with plutocracy by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, Sani, in a statement, said indirect primary would encourage money-bag politicians to manipulate the poor in the society which might jeopardise fair and free elections.
“And when one also considers the high fees for nomination forms by the ruling party, one begins to wonder if the APC is truly party for the progressives as professed.
“While it is arguable that it was President Muhammadu Buhari’s mass movement that caused the APC victory, I expect the party to make it the party for the progressives and not for only money bags.
“One way to do that is to enact laws that seek to narrow inequality and not to edge out regular blokes from participation.
“As regards the controversies on provision for using consensus for selection of candidates to stand elections, I wish to say if indirect primary favours money bags and incumbent governors to the chagrin of regular blokes, thereby enthroning plutocracy and kleptocracy on the polity, consensus would be worst.
“This is because in consensus, money bags and incumbent governors would threaten and intimidate aspirants into submission.
“When I read that there are still controversies on the reworked Electoral Amendment Act 2021 as it affects the provision for consensus, that public office holders must resign in order to participate in party primaries and that public officers must resign their appointments as condition to participate in primaries, I was not happy.”
