One of themost profound decisions the Adams Oshiomhole-leadership of the
\nAll ProgressivesCongress is bringing to party politics is the adoption of
\ndirect primary as ameans of selecting candidates that will fly the party\u2019s
\nflag in all electivepositions. The decision is as revolutionary as it is
\nwell timed. It stands toimprove the stock of the APC in the coming 2019
\nelection as well as otherelections in the coming epoch. The decision to
\nadopt direct primary forselecting candidates stands to imbue greater
\nparticipation and confidence amongmembers of the party and give them an
\nedge over other parties\u2019 candidatesbecause it gives the candidates the
\nassurance of majority members of the party.If adopted by other parties,
\nthe adoption will give more transparency topolitical participation and
\nregain the confidence that has been lost over timeas the process of
\nselecting candidates gets increasingly mired in secrecy.<\/p>\n
It is not asif direct primary method is a new method of candidates\u2019
\nselection. It is notrocket science either and the simplicity of the option
\nlifts it up and aboveother possible options for candidates\u2019 emergence. It
\ngives confidence tochoices made because it benefits from the free choice
\nof all members of theparty in contrast to indirect primary or the
\nconsensus option where a fewleaders of a party decides who is fielded as
\ncandidates for such parties inelections thereby limiting the capacity of
\nmembers to choose and put up theirbest candidates for elections.<\/p>\n
It is justnatural that the decision to adopt direct primary option is
\ngenerating somefurore amongst leaders and members of the party because it
\nstands to topple anold order that has benefited a select few against the
\nsilent majority that hadlost their rights to choose. The beauty of
\ndemocracy obtains in itsparticipatory ambience and the more the
\nparticipation, the merrier and lessrancorous the outcome will be. One of
\nthe merits of direct primary is that itrends the decision on who flies a
\nparty\u2019s flag in an election from the hands offew ubiquitous caucus members
\nand hand such power to the rank and file of theparty. There is nothing to
\nargue about the fact that a more wholesomeparticipation stands to throw up
\nbetter and more popular options than a selectionmade by a few or through
\nthe convoluted process of delegate elections.<\/p>\n
It is not a matterof contestation that delegate primaries where a few
\ndelegates that often emergethrough heavily compromised selection processes
\nare often fraught withmanipulation and other corruptive influences. There
\nis little to argue thatdelegate primaries oftenreward the highest bidder
\nand is therefore not the bestleadership selection modal in a democracy. It
\nis certain that delegateprimaries are an open market that shortchanges the
\nmajority to reward thepowerful few that have mobilized enough cash to
\ncontrol the process. Ifdemocracy is to be rightly interpreted in its
\noriginal form, there is no waythis will suffice as the best democratic
\noption open for members of a party toexercise their natural rights of
\nselecting who to put forward in elections. Again,this mode of party
\nprimaries remains one of the central canons of thedysfunctional democracy
\nNigeria has been saddled with since independence.<\/p>\n
It istherefore laudable that the Oshiomhole leadership of the APC came up
\nwith thisbrilliant idea of taking the party back to the people who own a
\nparty. Thedirect primary option stands to actively revive participation in
\nall theprocesses of election to the people who remain the soul of
\ndemocracy. If all membersof a party are involved in the process of choice
\nof the candidates of a party,there is no doubt that much of the issues
\nthat burden democratic participationwould be removed and democracy would
\nbe made to assume more practical anddirect meaning with the people. If
\nmembers of a party are involved in theprocess of electing the candidates
\nof a given party, there is greater chancesthatsuch candidates would enjoy
\nthe confidence of a greater number of electoratesof which the members of a
\nparty that elect candidates are a part of. Whatremains is for the party
\nleadership to ensure fairness and transparency I theconduct of primaries
\nso that results can reflect the choice of a majority ofthe party members.<\/p>\n
While onerecognizes the huge cost implications as well as the unwieldy
\nprocess involvedin direct primaries, there is no arguing that the
\nacceptability of the outcomeas well as the confidence such engenders far
\nrewards the costs of the process.Direct primaries scale down the
\npost-electoral rancor and squabbles that havebecome an integral aspect of
\nour democracy and makes the control of a partyfluid and more
\nparticipatory.<\/p>\n
Granted thatthere are oppositions to this mode of election but what is
\nneeded is for the Oshiomholeleadership to stand its ground and in a matter
\nof little time, it will become apositive fad that will grow and enrich our
\ndemocracy. Leading the opposition tothe adoption of direct primaries are
\nthe governors who relish the employment ofstate treasuries and
\napparatchiks of government to take absolute control ofparties and dictate
\nwhat happens therein. The governors have come to believethat absolute
\ncontrol of parties and deciding the fates of others is anintegral part of
\ntheir powers and as such, they play others like pawns in anexpansive
\nchessboard that assures them tight control of the process. Theselection of
\ndelegates as their fancies approve, has become a whimsical tool intheir
\nhands such that they see direct primary as an audacious attempt to
\nlatchthe control of parties off their hands. They will do everything to
\nretain thisskewed status quo to ensure they don\u2019t liberalize control of
\npolitical partieswhich direct primaries are bound to ensure. It is
\ntherefore not surprising thatthey have stood as a bulwark against direct
\nprimaries and are doing everythingto scuttle its adoption. If, however
\nparties belong to the people, every effortmust be made to frustrate their
\nscheme to nullify the adoption of directprimary in selecting candidates
\nfor elective positions.<\/p>\n
So theOshiomhole executive must stand firm and ensure that the direct
\nprimary optionis adopted for the coming APC primaries. It should not be
\nlimited to thepresidential primary alone but should be made to go across
\nboard. Let whoeverwants to serve the people start by going to all members
\nof a party to ask fortheir approval. Let all those who desire to fly a
\nparty\u2019s flag offer themselvesfor the nod of all members of the party and
\nnot a select few. Let those whowant to contest under the APC seek the
\nvotes of all members of the party. Thatway, democracy would be well
\nserved. There is little doubt that if the processis allowed to endure in
\nthe party, APC will reap tremendous harvest from it inthe coming
\nelections. This anticipated benefits will make other parties adoptsame
\nmethod and what better way to build democracy than through that?<\/p>\n
So letdirect primary endure to rightly take the party back to the people
\nwho own it.Let those opposed to it be made to know they are standing
\nagainst a currentthey are powerless to stop. The wide acceptance of direct
\nprimary since it wasmuted shows its democratic credentials and there is
\nlittle to argue that if theNigerian electoral system is invested with
\ndirect party primaries, some of theimpediments that tug ceaselessly at its
\nsoul will be decisively addressed andour democracy will grow stronger and
\nmore matured from that.<\/p>\n
PeterClaverOparah<\/p>\n
Ikeja,Lagos.<\/p>\n