War of Words as 2 APC Governors Engage in a Shouting March Over Direct Primaries
- Governor Abdullahi Sule's comment on the direct mode of primaries has attracted a strong reaction from his colleague in Kogi, Yahaya Bello
- The Kogi state governor felt the words used by his Nasarawa counterpart, Sule, who spoke in favour of the direct primaries were offensive
- The chairman of the PGF and Kebbi state governor, Abubakar Bagudu, had to intervene and restore calm to the meeting
Yahaya Bello, the governor of Kogi state, has slammed his Nasarawa state's counterpart, Abdullahi Sule, following the latter’s comment on the direct mode of primaries imposed on political parties.
Governors who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under Progressive Governors’ Forum have reportedly been unable to take a common stand on direct primaries.
Source: Facebook
The meeting between the 22 APC governors reportedly degenerated into a shouting match between Sule and Bello when the issue came up for discussion, The Punch reports.
Sule, one of the biggest advocates of power returning to the south was the most vocal, while others who preferred indirect primaries were led by Bello.
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How trouble started
A source from the meeting speaking under anonymity said trouble started during the meeting on Sunday, November 21, when Sule, who spoke in favour of the direct primaries, used words which his Kogi state counterpart felt were offensive.
Abubakar Bagudu, the chairman of the PGF and Kebbi state governor, had to intervene to restore peace when a war of words ensued.
In another report by The Guardian, PGF had earlier insisted that the adoption of direct primaries by political parties was undemocratic and would overstretch INEC.
It was gathered that the presidency is under pressure from governors to drop the clause for direct primaries in the Electoral Bill awaiting President Muhammadu Buhari's assent.
Electoral Amendment Bill: Senate president meets Buhari
The National Assembly does not need to lobby Nigeria's President Buhari to sign the electoral amendment bill in its current form.
According to an earlier report by Legit.ng, the Senate president, Ahmad Lawan, on Monday, November 22, disclosed this to journalists after a meeting with Buhari at the State House in Abuja.
According to Lawan, transmitting the bill to the president shows NASS members already expressed their positions on issues to the president.
2023: Gbajabiamila meets Buhari, shares president's stand on direct primaries
Meanwhile, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila insisted that President Buhari is in support of the direct primary.
This mode of primaries allows all card-carrying members of political parties to be involved in the choice of candidates for major elections.
Gbajabiamila made this known on Thursday, November 18, after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Source: Legit.ng
