APC recants, adopts direct primary at all levels

Less than 24 hours after All Progressives Congress (APC) adopted direct primary for presidential primary and indirect for others, the party has recounted, saying direct primary will now take place at all levels.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi and his Plateau counterpart, Simon Lalong had told newsmen on Wednesday after the party’s NEC meeting that the ruling party had adopted both direct and indirect primaries.
But, briefing newsmen yesterday at the party national secretariat, the APC Acting Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said “primary elections into all elective offices shall be by direct primaries”.
According to Nabena, “NEC resolved to adopt direct primaries for the nomination of the presidential candidate and all other primaries.
“The Party’s constitution though provides for indirect election and consensus, however, the use of Indirect primaries is conditional and dependent on logistic impediments; peculiarities and need of a given state that makes it unable to use direct primaries.
“The State Executive Committee (SEC) shall in consultation with aspirants and other critical stakeholders of the party in a given state forward for the consideration and approval by the National Working Committee (NWC), if an indirect primary is to be adopted.
The adopted mode shall now be applied to all categories of the Party’s Primary Elections, either State Assembly, Senate, House of Representatives and for the Governorship Elections.
“The request for Indirect Primaries must be signed by majority of the State Executive Committee and critical stakeholders in attendance at the meeting where such resolution is reached”, he said.