Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau APC Adopt Indirect Primary

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos, Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja, Emmanuel Ukumba in Lafia and James Sowole in Akure

The Kogi, Nasarawa and Ondo States chapters of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) have adopted indirect primary for the selection of the party’s candidates in the 2019 elections.

Also citing the security situation in Plateau State, the state chapter of the ruling party has also adopted indirect method of electing candidates for the 2019 elections.

The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello who made the position of party in the state known yesterday during stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Lokoja, the state capital, also assured the members and aspirants seeking various elective positions on the platform of APC that he does not have any anointed candidate for the primary election of the party.

The stakeholders meeting of the party was conveyed by the governor to discuss and resolve the method to adopt for the primary election of the party.

Governor Bello reaffirmed that he was for all the aspirants vying for various elective positions on the platform of the party, saying whoever emerges at the primaries will be the candidate of APC.

He assured members that the party would sponsor all the candidates for the general election to ensure that APC wins the contestable positions.

“I have never anointed any aspirants for any position. Forms are already on sale; any interested member of the party who is willing to contest elective positions on the platform of APC in Kogi State should go and buy their forms. The party will create a level-playing ground for all the aspirants so that we can achieve our set objectives,” he said

In a related development, the Nasarawa State chapter of the ruling party has also opted for indirect primary election for the election of its candidates for governorship and other elective positions in the state.

The decision was taken during the state APC stakeholders meeting presided over by Governor UmaruTanko Al-Makura at the Government House, Lafia.

The meeting also had in attendance APC governorship aspirants and arrays of other aspirants seeking elective positions on the platform of the party as well as its state officials.

However, Senator Abdullahi Adamu was absent at the meeting.

In his address at the meeting, the Nasarawa State governor assured members that there would be justice and fairness during the conduct of the state APC primary elections, especially that of the governorship.

Also, the Ondo State chapter of the ruling party yesterday declared that it would adopt indirect primary to elect its candidates for the 2019 elections.

The decision was reached after the extensive stakeholders, meeting of the party held at the party secretariat on Oyemekun Road, Akure, the state capital.

The meeting, which lasted for about three hours, was attended by various stakeholders including Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu; his deputy, Hon Agboola Ajayi; the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Oloyelogun, and state commissioners among others.

Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, the Senator Representing Ondo Central senatorial district, Omotayo Alasoadura, said the stakeholders of the party in the state had settled for indirect primary system of electing candidates.

Alasoadura said the adoption of the system in the state was in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution, which allowed for both direct and indirect form of primaries.

“We unanimously adopted that any election that will be conducted in the state shall be indirect exercise, because party has no documents to back up the direct primaries and that’s why we arrived at indirect primaries in Ondo State,” he said.

Also, the Plateau State chapter of the APC has adopted indirect primary method of electing candidates ahead of 2019 general election citing the precarious security situation in the state.

Chairman of the party in the state, Hon. Latep Dabang, briefed journalists in Jos yesterday after an enlarged party stakeholders’ meeting that comprised the Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden; local government areas chairmen of the party; top party chieftains and elders of the party held at Yelwa Club, Jos, the state capital.

“Our main concern on the Plateau is the issue of security; we have been battling with a lot of security challenges here, and we believe that the indirect primaries will give us a smaller number of people to manage, and you will be able to get them to a location that security operatives will easily police.

“But if you have election going in 207 wards in the state, there will be security threats and you cannot guarantee when the party primaries will begin and end, coupled with the attacks going on in quite a number of local government areas; we don’t want to put people lives at risk. These are some of the issues we are considering along with other issues,” he said.