Dogara said this method, popularly called Option A4 will make for transparent and truly democratic primaries by political parties and should be included in the electoral law of the country.
The Speaker said this while hosting a delegation from the Conference of Female Parliamentarians of State Houses of Assembly, led by its chairperson, Elizabeth Ativie, at the National Assembly on Thursday.
According to Dogara, direct primaries is more effective in choosing the true candidate of the people because it takes away the option of manipulation of a few delegates by interested parties who have more financial or political influence.
He said: “It is there in most of the Constitution of our political parties where primaries are supposed to be by direct or indirect means.
But inmost cases, most political parties, if not all, have always opted for the indirect primaries. To be more candid, direct primaries can help even in general elections because once a candidate emerges under those conditions, you will know that he is generally accepted by the people.
“When it comes to the delegate, it has always been very easy for political actors to manipulate the process. In some cases, someone will house the entire delegates.
If he happens to have a lot of money, he will house them in hotels, prevents all other candidates from having access to them andis under that process that the candidate emerges.
The Speaker maintained that in most cases, the people who have the capacity, “either the political will, the financial muscle to do this, dictate who are the actual representatives from the people.
“Unfortunately too, our laws do not help matters since we do not have independent candidacy. Theonly requirement is that you must have a political party platform before you are elected into any office.
It therefore means that something has to be done in order to free the process.
“In order to ensure that this process is truly transparent and democratic and the only way is to let all card carrying members of a political party participate in the election of their candidate.So to this suggestion, you already have a convert in me.”
Earlier, leader of the delegation, who is also the deputy speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Elizabeth Ativie, urged the Speaker to support women in politics by advocating for amendment of the Amendment Act to provide for use of Option A4 in party primaries, quota system in political parties and appointments for women (35 percent affirmative action), provide legislation for automatic citizenship for spouses of Nigerian woman and indigene status for women married to men from other states in Nigeria.
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