National Chairman of Action Democratic Party (ADP), Yabagi Sani, has said the nation’s political parties approached the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adjust the timetable for their primaries to avoid the pitfalls contained in the Electoral Act.
Sani, who is also the Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said the parties wanted to present to Nigerians the best candidates they have without running foul of the law.
He said: “We were worried about the pitfalls that are there in the Electoral Act, and we did. We don’t want a situation whereby after going through the process and you have conducted your primaries, someone will go to court and point out the faults that may have occurred due to the hasty nature the primaries were conducted.
“That was why we thought it wise to approach INEC for them to take a second look at the timetable and give the parties ample opportunity to do a good job of selecting their candidates who are qualified and competent and who they can present to Nigerians.
“One of the banes of our democracy in Nigeria is the calibre of candidates and their character because things are not done with due diligence. That is why we have people of questionable character leading to bad leadership.
“So, we feel that this time round, parties should be given the chance to go through a good process and be happy with what they are presenting to Nigerians.
“That was why we approached INEC for an adjustment. We thank God that they were magnanimous enough and allowed us to have our way that there was need to allow parties more space.
“At the end of the day, the parties are accountable and there are consequences for the parties, as contained in the Electoral Act which says that if the parties failed to do its job and, in the process, put forward somebody whose papers are false and does not meet the requirement of the constitution, the party will be fined up to N10 million.
“In addition, the National Chairman and National Secretary will also have to face some legal action. That is why the parties said they have to take their time to do it properly.”
Speaking on alleged monetisation of the process at the just-concluded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary, Sani described it as a sad development in the nation’s political history.
The IPAC chairman noted that if the allegation was true, the anti-corruption agencies that were on the scene of the primaries should have arrested some culprits and reported what happened.
He said: “If you give people money to secure a ticket, I am afraid that we will never get it right. This is because by so doing, we will not be able to get the right people to lead our country. That is why I think that the authority should take this serious. If you corrupt the process, then it will be garbage in, garbage out.
“If you have to spend that kind of money, like we heard, it will be worse case scenario in the world. If the process has to be for the highest bidder, then you can imagine what will come out of the process.
“By this way, democracy can never take root in this country because the people that emerged through the process will first recoup their investment before they think about you.”