Kebbi forum lampoons APC over direct primaries

A group under the auspices of Kebbi Development Forum yesterday faulted the decision of the All Progressives Congress to back direct primaries for presidency while allowing states to adopt direct or indirect primaries, describing the action as undemocratic.
Addressing newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, Secretary-General of the forum, Usman Abubakar said “the decision is not only self-serving and counterproductive but clearly runs counter to the principle of fairness, equity and justice.” He noted that, “this vague directive will give room to certain retrogressive and anti democratic elements to unilaterally foist and impose party flag bearers on the good people of Kebbi and other states of the federation.” Abubakar further lamented that the so called consensus claimed to have been undertaken by APC stakeholders in the state in favour of the incumbent, Governor Atiku Abubakar Bagudu as the flag-bearer of the party for the forthcoming 2019 general elections, was just a calculated attempt to disenfranchise other aspirants wishing to contest alongside the governor.
According to him, many elective positions were said to have been decided on by the so called stakeholders, which entirely reflects a mindset of unpatriotic elements to perpetrate poor governance on the good people of Kebbi state that are already grappling with huge issues of poverty, unemployment and civil service discontent.
“How on earth in a democratic setting, could a few individuals benefit from the system, simply because they fraudulently acquired party machinery hijack the will of the majority? I wonder why they are afraid of direct primaries; is it because they knew they will fail or what? Abubakar said the Kebbi forum would not fold its arms and allow things to go wrong, saying: “we must tell them the truth and nothing but the truth.

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