The lawmaker representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, says the inclusion of mandatory direct primary in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill was the idea of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. He further stated that he was told that the provision was meant for a particular individual hence the bill did not go through a thorough process before it was forwarded to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for assent. “We are hearing that that law (direct primary) was intended for an individual. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know but I must say and maintain that the process was not painstaking enough,” said Na’Allah on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday. Na’Allah said that during the discussions at the committee level, the issue of direct primaries was never brought up. The senator said it was when the bill was to be passed before the House that Gbajabiamila included the clause. He added, “The issue of direct primary came at the dying minute on the floor of the House of Representatives when they were considering the report of the committee of electoral matters. What it means is that it was never discussed or adopted by the committee of the House but that it came as an amendment allegedly because I don’t have the records, by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.” Na’Allah said the second argument by Gbajabiamila that the direct primary had become necessary in order to protect federal lawmakers from overbearing governors, showed that the proposed law was done for personal reasons. The senator argued that this was evidence that the law was not done in the interest of Nigerians as such but for self-preservation which was at variance with the oath of public office. He added, “And I have seen the Speaker doing whatever was humanly possible to defend that position. But what would prove me right is that in one breath, I heard the Speaker saying that because of the rate of return at the National Assembly, there was the need to protect the members of the National Assembly from the influence of governors, therefore the resort to direct primaries. “Now, the catch there is that personal interest was allowed in the process. That is the catch because he particularly said the turnover of members is very disturbing and that there is the need to protect members of the National Assembly from the governors. “In the first place, that argument will fall flat because it means that decision was taken to promote personal interest against the oath of office that we have taken as members of the National Assembly.” The senator said a Supreme Court judgment had given parties the power to run their affairs as they see fit. He argued that forcing parties to limit their options to direct primaries was against the spirit of that judgment which Gbajabiamila as a lawyer ought to have known. In his reaction on the floor of the House, however, a furious Gbajabiamila at the opening of plenary on Thursday lamented that some lawmakers were disparaging the National Assembly on television. He, however, failed to mention Na’Allah’s name. The Speaker said, “Honourable colleagues, I am constrained to say at this point that I watched with dismay this morning, some members of this National Assembly exercising their freedom of expression and speech, and that is well within their right. But when you exercise such freedom, be careful not to mislead the public; be careful not to malign, unjustifiably, this institution. “This leadership has allowed people to express their opinions at all times; I have no problem with that. But when you begin to call the institution which you are a part of names, unwittingly maligning even yourself, we need to draw a line especially when you are peddling untruths. And I just thought it was important that we mention this so (that) in future we will be guided both by the freedom of expression and by the truth. “It was a show of disgrace as far as I’m concerned – I don’t care what anybody says – the things that were uttered by members of this National Assembly. A show of disgrace! (I am) extremely disappointed.” However, a member of the House, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta (PDP/Abia), who had gone on television to accuse the National Assembly of being controlled by the executive, apologised on the floor of the House. The lawmaker said, “I was on a programme on Channels where matters that are very topical that happened here were discussed. I never intended to ridicule the House; I wouldn’t have; not even a House that I have fought so hard and worked so hard to build and have been part of.” Gbajabiamila, while accepting the apology, advised members to be very circumspect when they go out in public and express their own personal opinions.

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday told security agencies to maintain the same level of professionalism during the governorship election in Anambra State for the 2023 general polls. The chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, gave the charge during the commission’s meeting with Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security which held in Abuja. According to him, the governorship election in Anambra State passed off peacefully despite the tension and actual violence preceding it. He said the Anambra poll would go down in history as a remarkable accomplishment. Yakubu said, “On behalf of INEC, let me seize this opportunity to commend the professionalism of the security agencies without which the peaceful conduct of the election would not have been possible. “I am confident that the standard of professional conduct displayed by INEC officials and the security agencies in the Edo, Ondo and Anambra governorship elections will be maintained in all forthcoming polls, including the 2023 general election. “Our responsibility is to protect the process to guarantee its integrity while leaving the outcome of the election for voters to determine.” He stressed the need for security agencies to provide adequate security for the 2023 election holding in 394 days time. “Securing the nation under current circumstances is challenging enough. It is more so in an election year. Beginning from this meeting, we shall focus mainly on the best way to secure the electoral process in the most professional manner,” he added. Speaking on the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, Yakubu said the commission was aware of the constraints experienced by many citizens in reaching the 811 designated centres nationwide to register He added that some of the centres are separated by considerable distance from the places where citizens reside. Yakubu said the process of activating the additional 1,862 centres nationwide to make it easier for citizens to exercise their right to register as voters is in motion. “At the same time, we are mindful of the imperative of securing the process, especially the lives of registrants and our personnel. We will not put the lives of Nigerians and our registration officials at risk. For this reason, this meeting will review the security situation with a view to achieving our ultimate goal of activating 2,673 registration centres nationwide,” he said. The National Security Adviser and Co-chairman of ICCES, Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), represented by Sanusi Galadima reiterated the commitment of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to ensure a free fair and credible general election in the 2023 election. Monguno said all available security architecture of the government would be mobilised to achieve the objective of a credible election in 2023. He commended Yakubu and his team regarding the ongoing technological innovation in the electoral process as it would undoubtedly deepen the nation’s democratic culture “All available security architecture of the government will be mobilized to achieve this objective. ‘Although the Anambra governorship election was adjudged hitch-free, it was not without some logistics and operational challenges. Accordingly, this meeting is timely as it will enable members to brainstorm on how to address the identified challenges in a proactive manner,” he added.

ANAMBRA State governor elect, Professor Chukwuma Soludo has said that his manifesto, which he will start implementing from March 17, 2022, is a contract between him and the people of the state. Speaking during the inauguration of members of his transition committee at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Agulu in Anaocha local government area, Soludo said the manifesto is not just a tool to lure the people into voting him into power, but a social contract with the people of the state. According to him, the manifesto is a vision for Anambra’s transformation and informed the committee members that the work at hand is huge and requires the cooperation of everyone. Soludo said his vision is for a better, newer, liveable and industrialized Anambra which, according to him, is achievable, adding that efforts must be put in place to bring it to reality. signed with Ndi Anambra and since they have chosen me amongst all the other qualified candidates that contested the last election, I am committed to undertake the transformation of Anambra and ensure impactful leadership. “There is no stopping of my work plan for a better Anambra. “Anambra must be transformed to that mega industrialized economy; our roads both in the rural areas and cities, markets, environment challenges, must be addressed”. Speaking further, Soludo said he would prefer to be addressed simply as ‘Mr. Governor’ instead of the title ‘His Excellency’. The governor-elect said those who find it inappropriate to call him by his name can feel free to address him as Mr Governor. “I was called His Excellency a while ago, but may I plead that that Excellency tag should please wait for now. “That is part of what we will discuss in this committee. You may just need to learn how to call me by my name, but if that isn’t good for you, then, may I request that you simply call me ‘Charlie Nwangbafor. “If that one is so difficult for you that you must be formal in addressing me, then you can address me as Mr Governor”.