The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has x-rayed the challenges that would face the inclusion of mandatory direct primaries in the Electoral Act amendment bill.
Malami, in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari about two weeks ago, said making direct primaries mandatory for all political parties could cause confusion.
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Recall that Buhari had asked some critical stakeholders such as the Minister of Justice, Malami and INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu to give their expert opinions on the amendment of the bill.
Two major amendments in the bill are the mandatory use of direct primaries by political parties and the provision to allow INEC to transmit election results electronically.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed that the President had received a communication from Malami on the bill.
He, however, said he was not privy to the content of the letter.
“Yes. I can confirm that the President has received a communication from the honourable minister on the matter but honestly, I am not privy to the content of the communication. I have not been briefed,” the presidential aide told Punch Newspapers.
A source who spoke with The PUNCH said Malami told Buhari that the compulsory use of direct primaries by political parties to choose candidates for election would cause confusion.
The source said the minister failed to quote any section of the constitution to back up his opposition to the direct primaries.
He claimed that Malami was worried that the adoption of the direct primaries would force all political parties to change their constitutions.
According to the source, Malami said the compulsory use of the direct primaries would mean that only new political parties will be bound by the bill if passed into law.
He revealed that Malami has revealed the advantages and disadvantages of the bill to the President, adding that it is up to Buhari to make up his mind.
Meanwhile, the minister’s spokesman, Dr Umar Gwandu, has refused to reveal the content of Malami’s letter to the President.
In an interview with the newspaper, Gwandu said he can’t confirm whether Malami has given his opinion on the Electoral Bill.
He said: “The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is attending the 2021 United Nations Conference of State Parties on Anti-Corruption currently holding in Egypt.
“I am not in a position to confirm whether any opinion has been proffered by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice over the Electoral Act amendment bill. I cannot ascertain the veracity of your claims at this moment.”
