Oyo APC Chieftain, Adegoke Backs NASS Over Direct Primaries By Kunle Bakare

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Chief Adegboyega Adegoke, has thrown his weight behind the National Assembly for adopting direct primaries for political parties to pick their candidates for elections.

This is just as he said that Nigeria needed a benevolent dictator to turn things around in the country.

Adegoke said these, while participating in a political programme on an Ibadan-based radio, Solutions 93.9 FM, titled, “Politics in Focus.”

Recall that the Senate and the House of Representatives recently passed the harmonized version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which allow for direct primaries as a means of returning democracy to the people.

Adegoke said that adopting indirect primaries by political parties in the country in the last “22 years of our present democracy has turned the governors to emperors who always want to impose their wishes on members of their party,” stating that direct primaries would make party members have sense of belonging.

While charging President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Act as passed by the National Assembly, the Bada Balogun of Ibadanland, insisted that time had come to adopt a new method by the political parties as it would largely “reduce the influence of money in our political space.”

According to him, “The direct primaries method is an opportunity for Nigerians to freely elect their leaders as it will give them the political power to override governors and god-fathers’ impunity of imposition.

“It is very sad to discover that the governors are opposed to the window of freedom given by the National Assembly. This experience gives them goose pimples because the governors do not want the people of Nigeria to freely elect potential candidates in the political parties through internal party democracy.’’

Adegoke maintained that Nigeria needed a leader who will wholeheartedly work for its development and progress, noting that such a person would not care if he loses second term bid.