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Presidential primary elections of different political parties have come and gone. Though largely rancour-free, there are some noticeable challenges with the exercise in some major political parties. As we move towards the 2023 general election, there is the need to learn from the mistakes of the parties in order to pave way for an enduring democracy. The first major drawback was the undue monetisation of the exercise. The two leading political parties were the major culprits.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), for instance, sold its presidential nomination and expression of interest forms for N100million. The main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sold its own for N40million. To worsen the situation, the primaries were likened to a bazaar where the highest bidder gets the trophy. There were allegations that some of the aspirants bribed the delegates with thousands of dollars.
This is not just a heavy dent on the electoral process, it is also not democratic. It is a danger signal ahead of next year’s general election. It means that voters have become pawns in the political chessboard of politicians. In politics as in other spheres of life, the way primaries are conducted will invariably affect how the general election will be conducted. If we get it wrong at the delegates’ election, it will affect the entire process. Political parties should map out disciplinary measures against aspirants engaging in vote buying and other electoral infractions. Candidates should be allowed to showcase their popularity and sell their agenda to the electorate. It becomes worrisome when money supersedes everything and the ticket goes to the highest bidder.
Another major problem was the failure of the two dominant parties to adhere to their zoning principle. The North is in power currently. In the last general election in 2019, the PDP and the APC fielded northern candidates and no southerner contested it with the North. In the current dispensation, power is supposed to rotate to the South, but for some reasons best known to the leaders of the parties, the contest was thrown open to all aspirants. This has culminated in the emergence of Atiku Abubakar, a northerner, as the standard-bearer of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election.
Although former Lagos State Governor from the South-West, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, won the APC ticket, the leadership of the party initially wanted to thwart the process. The National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, announced to the chagrin of many party faithful that the Senate President and a northerner, Ahmad Lawan, was the consensus candidate of the party. It took the intervention of the APC governors from the North and other aspirants to stop the wrong move.
This shows that internal democracy, which should be the hallmark of our democracy, is still being abused. A lot of people are not happy with this development. A presidential aspirant on the platform of the APC, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, recounted how the presidential contest for the 1999 election was deliberately left for only the South-West candidates and how that singular action calmed down the tension in the country then. He wondered why this particular contest was not zoned to the South-East and regretted that there was no justice in the entire exercise. We agree with Onu that without equity and justice, there will be no peace and unity in the country.
One major development in the entire process is the emergence of what appears to be a third force in our political horizon. The Labour Party held its own primary soon after the PDP and elected the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, as its standard-bearer. Until that election, Obi was a major presidential aspirant on the platform of the PDP. But feeling shortchanged over certain things, he resigned from the party and withdrew from its presidential primary. His entry into the Labour Party has reinvigorated the party and has made it a force to reckon with in the coming election. Another candidate to watch is Musa Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). Kwankwaso is a major political force in the North-West and can spring surprises if care is not taken.
The onus is on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be alive to its responsibilities. It should be firm on dates for political activities. It shifted the date of the primaries and this gave undue advantage to some parties over others.
Presidential primary is very important in the selection process of a presidential candidate. If it is not properly done, the general poll will be affected. The process needs to be reformed so as to confer on it the legitimacy it deserves. We urge the political parties to learn from the mistakes in the primaries and improve on the general election.
The identified problems notwithstanding, we commend the parties for successfully conducting their primaries. We congratulate the winners in the various parties and urge them to realise that winning the primary is just the first stage. The ultimate is winning the general election. Let them map out their strategies for campaign and make only the promises they can fulfill. Now that Nigeria is at the crossroads, the electorate must resolve to elect the best candidates.
