Chairman of Senate Committee on Air force, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, has accused the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, of introducing mandatory direct primary clause into the Electoral Act Amendment Bill “to favour someone”.
Na’Allah, representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, explained that the Speaker’s idea of direct primary was to favour someone, whom he failed to name.
He made this accusation while speaking on Thursday when he featured on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
Na’Allah pointed accusing fingers at Gbajabiamila over the controversial clause.
He also said that during the discussions at the committee level, the issue of direct primaries was never brought up.
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“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,” the Senator said.
Na’Allah said “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 also stated that 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.
