The Senate has approved the direct primary mode for selecting candidates for all political parties across the country.
The upper legislative chamber reached the conclusion following a motion for the reconsideration of the electoral act amendment bill moved by the Senate leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, on Tuesday.
Senator Abdullahi urged the Senate to rescind the earlier decision, saying that there is a need to amend the bill.
“Desirous of the need to address the observations by the committee and make necessary amendments; and relying on order 1(b) and 53(b) of the senate standing order,” he added.
In his remarks, the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe said, however, that parties should be allowed to use whatever mode of primary election that suits them.
Abaribe said: “The original situation was that the party was left with choices to determine what suits them.
Not all parties have capacity to do direct primaries. I think we may have to leave it open.”
The four clauses in the bill were approved by the senate in the committee of the whole after Senate President Ahmad Lawan put them to voice votes.
Also, the Senate, during plenary, authorised INEC to choose the reliable mode of transmission of election results.
Thus empowered, the electoral commission will now have to decide how to transmit election results, whether electronically or manually.