NA’s controversial legislation on Direct Primaries, Breach of Constitution – Lamido

By Shehu Dutse

The Former Jigawa state Governor, Dr Sule Lamido says recent controversial legislation by the national assemblies on direct primary election for political parties is clear breaching of the provision of Nigerian contitution which guarantees polical parties to regulate the conduct of it’s affairs.

This was contained in a statement signed by the former Governor and made available to journalist in Dutse, the jigawa state capital.

The People Democratic Party stalwart also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress APC in the senate for an attempt to enforce direct primary election on political parties, despite the constitution’s clear stated that political parties to regulate their affairs including means of providing their flag bearer.

Sule Lamido pointed out that, the APC dominated nigerian senate has legislation that political parties must conduct direct primaries in choosing their candidates into elective offices is a clear indication of the APC Senators turning itself into a sole administrator of political parties which is tantamounts to political self help of APC’s dwindling political fortune.

According to him, the nigerian constitution guarantees the safe guard of their plural democracy, adding that the same constitution inherently guarantees the parties to regulate the conduct of their affairs and mandates the Independent electoral commission to oversee compliance of their party’s constitution a copy of which is deposited with the electoral body.

According him, “there was a time in our political evolution when we had parties headed by late Air Marshal Alfa as the sole administrator of SDP and NRC!. But that was when the polical parties were invented and owned by the government with full compliments of offices from the National, States and Local govt, office furniture, motor vehicles, motor cycles, full funding of all the Parties activities including transportation and accommodation during congresses and conventions and what have you”~ Lamido

He noted even at that it simply put the parties that are not sovereign but mere government appendages, noting that they all know the attendant consequences.

The Former Governor therefore charged PDP and Nigerians to stand up and resist any attempt by APC senators to reverse nigerian democracy to military era for archiving parochial interest as against collective national interest.