Bauchi, Katsina APC Opt for Indirect Primary Election

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Bauchi and Katsina States chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have opted to use delegate system or direct primary at the forthcoming primary election of the party.

The Bauchi State chapter made the resolution thursday during stakeholders’ meeting held at Zaranda Hotel, Bauchi.

During the meeting, a member representing Giade Local Government Area (LGA) in the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Adamu Bello Giade, moved the motion for the adoption of indirect primary in the state, insisting that it would be more orderly and rancor-free.

The motion, which was seconded by the member representing Ganjuwa East in the state assembly, Hon. Umar Nabayi, was also supported by the majority of the participants at the meeting.

In his remarks, the state APC Chairman, Uba Ahmed Nana, explained that the meeting was convened to give members opportunity to make choice on which method to adopt for the upcoming primary elections of the party in the state.

Some of the attendants of the meeting include the Deputy Governor of the State Audu Sule Katagum, party executives and heavy weight politicians.

Also the Katsina State chapter of APC thursday “unanimously” adopted indirect primary.

This is even as the party endorsed the second term bid of President Muhammadu Buhari and the state Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, ahead of 2019 general polls, saying the duo remain the credible candidates.

Announcing the resolution of the party, the state APC Chairman, Alhaji Shitu Shitu, said as a follow-up to the NEC meeting, “states were given three options of direct voting, indirect (delegate) system and consensus voting.

“It is based on that we in Katsina State have decided to come together as critical stakeholders to endorse the option we have chosen today and it is unanimously agreed”.

He added that no amount of campaign of calumny against the president and the governor that would deter them from seeking for re-election to continue their quests to return the country and the state to path of glory.

Shitu reaffirmed that the search for a credible candidate other than President Buhari may turn out to be a wild goose chase, adding: “As no politician has shown strong political will to change the economic and social fortunes of the country”.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Governor Masari said: “Here in Katsina, we have chosen to conduct indirect primary. We have a terrible experience with direct primary in the past.

“As I am talking to you, we don’t have a clear statistics of registered APC members in the state; more are coming, some have left the party.

“So, it is better for us to go through a system that we can identify those who are responsible to elect on behalf of others.”

Masari, however, called on Nigerians to be wary of political propagandists in the opposition camp who are bent on wielding the country back to the era of massive looting by “attempting to destroy the goodwill President Buhari enjoys among Nigerians”.