The Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, has called for early and direct primaries by political parties to make the Nigerian electoral process more credible and deepen her democracy, regretting that the penchant for indirect primaries had undermined internal democracy in the political parties.
Ekweremadu, who spoke on Monday during a one-day retreat of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, pointed out that the late conduct of primaries by political parties owing mainly to constitutional restrictions posed serious challenges to the electoral system.
“In Ghana, although neither the Constitution nor the Electoral Act gives any specific period for the conduct of presidential and parliamentary primaries, individual parties has provisions in their respective constitutions for early primaries.”
(Today.ng)