A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and 2019 governirship aspirant in Bauchi state Capt. Muhammad Bala Jibrin has asked for a convocation of an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC), to resolve the controversies surrounding the forthcoming governorship primaries of the party in Edo state.
Jibril, a former Deputy National Auditor of the APC said that would be the only way to solve the political imbroglio capable of causing APC Edo State in September 19 governirship election.
The APC National Working Committee (NWC) and the Edo state executive of the party are entangled in the crisis of mode of primaries for the governirship candidate.
While the NWC has adopted the direct primary mode, the Edo state APC executive loyal to governor Godwin Obaseki, is insisting on indirect primary.
But in a statement made available to Blueprint Sunday in Abuja by Jibril said only a NEC meeting made up of leaders of thoughts of the party would solve the crisis.
He specifically called on President Muhammad Buhari and Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu to quickly intervene to save the party.
The APC chieftain argued that it was the same process of crisis and arguments of primaries that made APC to lose Adamawa, Zamfara, Rivers, Cross River, Rivers, Imo states governirship elections and some others.
He also said that the direct primary as adopted by the APC NWC for governirship elections is for ward elections in the constitution.
He said, “it is important to note that the APC Constitution did not define or explain the meaning of a direct primary election. Article 20 ii(a) stated that direct primary would be used in the nomination of councillorship election.”
Citing the APC constitution, Jibril said, “Nomination of Candidates for Councillorship shall be by a direct primary election conducted at the Ward level. For the purpose of this primary election, Party members in every Ward shall vote byopen-secret ballot for the candidates of their choice where there is no consensus, provided that where a candidate has emerged by consensus for an elective position, a vote of “yes” or “no” should be called to ensure that it was not an imposition which could breed discontent and crisis.
“Therefore, we can say that the contemplation of the drafters of the APC Constitution is that direct primary means allowing all card-carrying party members to vote in a primary election. However, there are two issues that unless addressed the whole exercise will be subjected to abuse and manipulation, which is the clear intention of the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.”
Also faulting the direct primary mode, he said, ‘first, not every party member can vote or be voted for.
“Article 9.3 (i) states that: Only fully registered and financially up-to- date members of the Party shall have the right to vote and be voted for into any of the elective positions, subject to the provisions made for such elections pursuant to this Constitution or other Laws or Regulations. Consequently, non-financial members shall not enjoy the above rights.
“Given this clear provision, only the NEC can decide on who is a fully registered and financially up-to-date member of the Party that is qualified to vote or be voted for, including the mode of the election of candidates during the primary election. Therefore, it is only proper for the National Working Committee (NWC) and Adams Oshiomhole to subject themselves to the NEC, as the only constitutional body that has the final say on the issue. This means that to ensure checks and balances and roll back the creeping improprieties and lawlessness of the National Chairman, NEC should summon an emergency meeting and thrash out the issues once and for all.
“Second, to conduct a direct primary, the most elementary requirement is an authentic register of party members. Article 9.4 (i) states that: “…the party shall update its membership records every six months and remit updated copies to appropriate Secretariats…”As we speak, the National Secretariat of the APC has no up to date Register of members. The last time the register was updated was in 2017, and since then much water has passed under the bridge with the defection of some APC leaders, like Atiku, Kwankwaso, Saraki, Yakubu Dogara, etc. to PDP, and the decamping of some PDP leaders to APC. As the lawyers say, you can’t build something on nothing.
“How do you verify, under this situation, who is a financial member or not?.”
Similarly Jibril faulted the allegation of online registration of one of the aspirants in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
He said, “We saw Pastor Ize-Iyamu, the person Comrade Oshiomhole wants to impose by all means as the Governorship candidate of APC in the 2020 Edo elections, announcing on live program on AIT that he has registered as member of APC online. When did the APC develop online platform for membership registration? Where is the registration portal domicile and who manages it? When has the APC announced such development? Has it been advertised? Has the party extended the online registration of members to Kano, Kwara, Taraba, Cross River, Ogun and other states where we have exodus of members in and out of the party shortly before the 2019 general elections?”
He alleged that the present NWC was working to weaken NWC, as he said, ‘Unless Adams Oshiomhole has an agenda to weaken APC and lowers its esteem before millions of Nigerians, it is inexplicable that he remains at the centre of all the party’s crisis that has engulfed the state chapters of the Party since November 2018. From Zamfara to Ogun, from Imo to Rivers, from Bauchi, Adamawa to now Edo, you can see his hands and his self-centred tendencies visibly.
“Rather than become a unifying factor, Adams Oshiomhole has become the most divisive party chairman in the history of party politics in Nigeria. Because of the flagrant violation of the Party’s Constitution by Adams Oshiomhole, the APC has now become a shadow of its former self. Its 2013-2018 format, in which party members feel at home and have a say in the affairs of the Party is no more. The APC is at risk of losing its core if it has not lost it already. Because of Adams Oshiomhole’s ways, the APC is now at the crossroads.”
Speaking on the implications of alleged lack of internal democracy in APC to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, he said, “all well-meaning Nigerians will like to see President Buhari complete his term peacefully and leave behind a legacy of robust party politics, real democracy, democratic institution and popular participation of citizens. However, it seems, Adams Oshiomhole will not allow that. He has not learned one lesson and is digging deeper. All well-meaning party leaders should reflect on this and take the necessary action before the APC scatters. If the APC is to survive and institutionalize itself, as President Buhari envisioned during the last NEC meeting, party leaders must wake up. We cannot continue to allow an Adams Oshiomhole to taint a worthy legacy of anti-corruption, good governance and infrastructural development put in place by our beloved President Muhammdu Buhari.
“I hereby call on President Muhammadu Buhari, the National leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all other well-meaning leaders of APC. To come out and condemn these acts of impunity by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and save the party from imminent collapse. A word is enough for the wise.”
