By Asimiyu Olawale
A direct primary is a preliminary
election in which a party’s candidates for public office are nominated by
direct vote of the people.
A direct primary empowers ordinary party members to pick candidates for office, rather than leaving that decision to party insiders.
In Nigeria, open ballot system, also known as Option A4, is a voting method in which voters vote openly by queuing or otherwise, indicating the candidate of their choice. This is as opposed to a secret ballot, where a voter’s choices are confidential.
I monitored the conduct of the primary in a number of collation centres in Osun Central and Osun East LGAs as well as situation report from Osun West.
There are these observations:
1. Most of the aspirants, aside Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, Dr. Najeem Salam and Hon. Yusuff Lasun, didn’t have agents in majority of the wards behind whom voters that wished to vote for them would have queued. This unfortunate scenario deprived so many eligible voters the opportunity to vote candidates of their choice. This problem would not have arised if secret ballot system was adopted in a direct primary.
2. The electoral officers did not seem to have strictly observe the guidelines for the primary (so it seemed because the guidelines were not even publicly known). The observation of guidelines by electoral officers were discretional according to situation in different wards.
Compliance seemed more observable in wards where more than one candidates had agents.
3. Poor Sensitisation of the Voters.
It was glaringly noted that majority of the voters came to the voting centre not knowing which candidate to vote. So they were dictated to by agents/mobilisers of candidates with highest monetary bidding. No candidate, among the leading candidates, appeared to have been voted for as a result of his programs, manifestoes, competency, contributions to party and public good or otherwise but for amount receivable from and other sentiments for the candidates.
4. Sharing of money by agents/mobilisers of candidates was manifest and led to fight in some wards with thugs brandishing dangerous weapons.
Recommendations
For a direct primary election to be effective, truly democratic, less costly, unmonetised and produce most popular and acceptable candidate; the following recommendations should be considered:
1. The direct primary election guidelines should be made public and available to all aspirants. There should be enough time notice to allow aspirants campaign to party members.
2. Secret ballot system should be adopted as this makes the choice of voters to be confidential.
Secret ballot system ensures security of the voters and discourages buying of mandate as against option A4 which has proved as coercive, security endangered, costly to aspirants, favours candidates with highest monetary bidding and fraudulent in nature.
3. Party Election officials in all levels should be properly trained and comply with guidelines without compromise.
Asimiyu Olawale, an independent election monitor, writes from Osogbo.
