Ahead of the 2023 General Elections, former Ogun State Governor and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Olusegun Osoba, has expressed his expressed total support for a direct primary election in the selection of candidates for all political parties for the elections as contained in the newly passed Electoral Act Amendment Bill by the National Assembly, describing it as the best the nation.
Chief Osoba stated this while addressing a delegation of senators across the various political parties and geo-political zones in the country who paid him a courtesy visit in London following his knee surgery.
He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly sign the newly passed electoral act amendment bill into law, stressing that the President was also a product of direct primary.
According to him, “I have a feeling that he will sign it. The President himself is a product of direct primaries. He submitted himself to direct primaries in 2019 and heaven did not fall. After he subjected himself to direct primary in all the wards, he also subjected himself to a national convention to ratify his election at the primary.
“At our National Caucus, during the Edo State governorship election, I had cause to tell him that if he could subject himself to direct primary, I don’t see why anybody should be afraid of direct primaries,” Osoba said.
The former governor also stated that the 9th National Assembly had done well for the country in supporting what they think is right for the executive and the country.
He noted that it was time for the executive to pay the National Assembly back by overwhelmingly passing the new electoral act amendment bill to include direct primary election.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Solomon Adeola, said the members of the Senate were in London and decided to pay him a visit as his wealth of experience was needed now that Nigeria was headed towards difficult times.
He added that it was gratifying to see that the APC chieftain was fast recovering from his surgery as evidenced in his personally receiving them at the door and going back up with them to the sitting room upstairs.
Senator Kashim Shettima, who spoke on behalf of other senators, stated that they came as Nigerians irrespective of any political party or regional colouration to wish Osoba well as an elder statesman who had contributed to the nation through journalism and service in government.
According to him “as senators of the Federal Republic, all of us are interested in the growth and progress of our nation. We are not here for partisan consideration but to seek wisdom from an elder statesman that has contributed positively to the growth and development of the nation and is still willing to do more even in his advanced age.”
The delegation comprises Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West), Senator Kashim Shettima (APC, Borno Central), Senator Isah Jubril(APC, Kogi East), Senator Micheal Nnachi (PDP, Ebonyi South), Senator Ayo Akinyelure (PDP, Ondo Central), Senator Gershon Bassey (PDP, Cross River South), Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (APC, Taraba Central), Senator Sadiq Sulaiman Umar (APC, Kwara North), Senator Tokunbo Abiru (APC, Lagos East) Senator Bashiru Ajibola(APC, Osun Central) and Senator Hassan Mohamed Gusau (APC, Zamfara Central). respectively.
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