To face direct primary, govs, others indirect – APC

The National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, has adopted direct primary for the conduct of its presidential primary, while the contest for the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives tickets will take the indirect format.
President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated his intention to seek a second term in 2019.
As things stand, no notable aspirant has come up to challenge Buhari for the party’s ticket.
However, if any eventually comes up, they will all face the novel indirect primaries to pick the party’s ticket for the exalted office.
The NEC, however, clarified that any state chapter willing to use direct primary for its election should write officially to the party’s national secretariat.
But conspicuously missing at the meeting with majority APC leaders in attendance, were Speaker Yakubu Dogara and his deputy, Mr.
Yusuf Lasun, believed to have taken permission to be absent.
There was however, a curious appearance of the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at its national secretariat, venue of the meeting.
Tinubu arrived the secretariat around 10.56am in a black Jeep, and a drama ensued when a serving APC governor, believed not to be at peace with Tinubu’s presence, took a protest to the party’s director of administration.
A reliable source who attended the meeting explained that “the governor was not at home with Tinubu’s presence.
That is why he protested to the Director of Administration on why they allowed a non-NEC member like Tinubu to be in attendance.” It was also gathered that the former Lagos governor who was at the party house while the meeting lasted, did not however enter the meeting hall.
Briefing newsmen on the outcome of yesterday’s NEC meeting, Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong and his Kogi counterpart, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, said the general option agreed upon is that indirect option should be adopted.
Lalong said: “The constitution of the party provides for either direct, indirect or consensus but for the presidential election we all agreed that we will adopt direct primaries for the presidential election.
Also, a recommendation was made by the NWC that the other states should adopt the indirect mode, but there may be situations that this might be difficult in the state looking at their peculiarities.
So if there are such difficulties, they can apply following the process.” When asked if the issue of automatic ticket was discussed, he said it was not dicussed.
“In respect to automatic ticket we didn’t discuss the issue of automatic ticket.
But we discussed that, yes patriotic and loyal members should be rewarded, but not necessarily with automatic ticket.
“We are saying some senators, our senators who are patriotic, who are supposed to be taken away, were all kept in the party.
So, all states should look at this, and then we will find ways of rewarding them.
But election is giving option to everybody to contest election.
“On the cost of nomination form, we debated that and I think we left it again to the NWC taking into view some of the views that were expressed to come out with a reasonable figure.
And any figure will be accepted we don’t need to come back to NEC to rectify,” he added.
Also speaking, Governor Bello clarified that the party will not give automatic to loyal lawmakers and governors seeking re-election, but they all will be rewarded.
“People refer to issue of automatic ticket to governors and legislators.
In our party, we have reward system.
You surely not throw away a loyal party man.
You will not punish a loyal party man.
We will always support and reward those legislators who were supposed to have been taken away in a deceitful manner but stood by Mr President, those that are patriotic to this party and this country, surely will be rewarded in one way or the other but we don’t refer to it as automatic ticket because there is internal democracy and we are going to follow every letter and intent of our constitution.”

 

Leave a Reply