By Elder Yusufu Majau
As the National Assembly deliberates on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026, I find it a moral duty to interject with the “voice of history.” Many who currently sit in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly were not there in 1992 or 1999. They speak of “Direct Congresses” as a democratic ideal, but I speak of them as a man who saw them burn down the aspirations of great parties.
The Ghost of 1992: When Idealism Met Chaos
In 1992, I was at the center of the SDP’s direct congresses. On paper, it was “power to the people.” In reality, it was a descent into chaos. Because we insisted on a direct membership vote in big cities like Lagos and Kano, the party fractured.
We won the legislative houses, but the internal bitterness of the direct congress cost us the Governorships. Even as Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as a Senator, he did so in a state where the party’s executive arm had been decapitated by the friction of the primaries.
We saw this again under the PDP in Jigawa and Kebbi. We quickly learned that while direct congresses sound inclusive, our political culture—often characterized by a refusal to accept rules and the hijacking of venues by thugs—makes them a recipe for disaster. This is why we transitioned to Option A4 and other delegate-based systems; not to stifle democracy, but to preserve the peace.
The Plateau Experience: A Lesson in Futility
My experience in Plateau State serves as a stark warning. I remember the 1999 state congress that produced Joshua Dariye. It took over three weeks of chaotic disputes to produce a candidate. At the Abba Shehu venue, we were ordered to repeat the process four times. Whether it was the councilor primaries or the Jang Gyel A repeats, the result was often the same: a toss of a coin or a breakdown of order because “the people” the law sought to empower were the same ones being used to overrun the process.
The 2026 Bill: Ignoring the Lessons of the Past
The current 2026 Bill’s leanings toward mandating specific primary formats ignore these scars on our national memory.
Logistical Impossibility: If we could not successfully manage direct congresses in 1992 without violence and weeks of delays, what makes us think we can do it now across 8,809 wards?
Party Autonomy: Political parties must have the discretion to choose the nomination method (Direct, Indirect, or Consensus) that fits their peculiar security and logistical realities.
Security Concerns: My prayer is that 2026 does not become a year of national chaos. Forcing direct primaries in volatile regions is an invitation to thuggery.
My Call to Action
I call on the National Assembly and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—who himself was a product of these turbulent times—to tread carefully. We must prioritize verifiable digital membership registers (as proposed in the current bill) before we even dream of mandating direct congresses. Without a clean, tamper-proof list of voters, “Direct Primaries” is simply a euphemism for “Survival of the Most Violent.”
Let us not repeat the mistakes of 1992. Let us build a law that recognizes our history, rather than one that dooms us to repeat it.
Signed,
Elder Yusufu Majau
Former Chief of Staff to Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu
First Elected Chairman, Bokkos LGA
Chairman, Elders Forum, Plateau State ADC
