… Frowns against federal appointees’ clique culture against incumbent govs

… Says Nigerian system unfit for part-time legislature

An aspirant for Ondo North Senatorial seat under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alex Ajipe, on Tuesday described the direct primary mode as the most credible system for political parties to select their standard bearers.

Ajipe, who argued that when properly conducted, direct primaries grant every party member the opportunity to choose their leaders in a transparent process and as well as to ensure that the people get quality representation.

According to the APC chieftain, who disclosed this at the newsroom of the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation (OSRC/Orange FM) in Akure, the state capital, during a platform tagged ‘The Circuit’, the process is also cost-effective.

While speaking on the topic ‘Scaling the Hurdles of Bad Governance through Qualitative Representation’, the Ajipe maintained that direct primaries, when properly conducted, offer a cost-effective and transparent pathway for party members to exercise their franchise.

The APC aspirant emphasised that the ideal primary election would allow party members to simply queue behind their preferred candidate, with officials counting them manually and recording the figures transparently.

He said, “If direct primaries are done the way they’re supposed to be done, then I think it will be the best way to elect either a representative or any of our officers.” So I want to believe that by the grace of God we’ll be able to have people who are patriotic enough to do things the right way, and the most popular candidates will always emerge in different political parties and eventually become the occupier of that particular seat.”

Meanwhile, Ajipe frowned at what he described as prevailing political culture in Ondo State, where federal appointees and legislators allegedly form cliques to oppose incumbent governors in pursuit of their personal political ambitions.

Ajipe, who called for an end to such antagonism, urged political appointees, particularly those at the federal level, to unite with the governor in delivering democratic dividends to the people.

“I want to say that it is high time we look back, restrain ourselves, and see that there will be a synergy and unity of purpose so that we don’t just continue to fight ourselves. Because the truth of the matter is that everybody will get to where he’s going to get to. Anybody that knows the story of Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa will know that it is only God that can get you to where you want to get to.

On whether Nigerian legislators should serve part-time, Ajipe stressed that the country’s peculiar challenges demand full-time representatives, insisting that Nigerians must assess their legislators by the quality of representation delivered.

In her remarks, the Chairman, NUJ OSRC/Orange FM Chapel, Odunayo Sawyerr, stated that bad governance in Nigeria constitutes obstacles like corruption which undermines public confidence and impedes advancement with citizens confronted with development challenges.

“Our deliberation today compels us to surmount these impediments through resolute and principled representation.

Qualitative representation fundamentally transforms this paradigm; it entails leaders distinguished by proficiency, empathy, and accountability.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s qualitative representation in the Western Region yielded universal education and healthcare, surmounting governance deficits prevalent elsewhere. In contemporary Nigeria, this ethos must permeate our National Assembly, legislation that allocates resources to critical sectors and oversight that restrains executive excesses.

On their parts, the Director-General, OSRC Media Group, Kenneth Odusola Stevenson, and the Director, News and Current Affairs, Taiwo Ibitoye, commended the topic as apt, emphasising that qualitative representation flourishes when the media insists upon transparency and unearths malfeasance.