Kogi 2019: 20 APC governorship aspirants reject indirect primary

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Kogi 2019: 20 APC governorship aspirants reject indirect primary

About 20 governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress stormed the party national secretariat in Abuja on Monday to protest against the adoption of the indirect primary option for the selection of the party standard-bearer for the November governorship election.

The APC national Working Committee on Friday at the end of its meeting announced that its candidate would be picked through the indirect option.

Recall that a faction of the party in Kogi State loyal to the incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello who is seeking a second term had earlier resolved last month to convince the party national leadership led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to settle for indirect primary. The primary is expected to hold next month.

Although it admitted that the party constitution made provision for direct, indirect and consensus options, the party through a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu said the choice of the indirect option was as a result of the demand for it by the party stakeholders in Kogi State.

But addressing newsmen yesterday, one of the aspirants, Mohammed Ali, who spoke on behalf of the other 19 aspirants said the APC stakeholders were never consulted.

They called the attention of the APC NWC to pending litigations over the authentic leadership of the party in Kogi State and cautioned against what happened in Zamfara and Rivers where the party was declared ineligible from fielding candidates in the just concluded general elections as a result of internal dissension.

The 20 aspirants noted that “the resort to an indirect primary in the Kogi State chapter of the APC amounts to a muzzling of the wish of the generality of our party members.”

The petition addressed to the APC national chairman reads in part: “We write in respect of the outcome of the meeting of the National Working Committee of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) which reportedly met on Friday, July 5th, 2019 and adopted indirect primary election in picking a governorship candidate for the November 16th, 2019 governorship election in Kogi State.

“At an emergency meeting of all the governorship aspirants in Kogi State held on Sunday, July 7th, 2019, we reviewed the decision of the National Working Committee vis a vis our aspiration and resolved as follows:

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“That the planned adoption of the indirect party primary is inherent with serious negative consequences for the fortune of the Party in Kogi State.

“We regret to observe that such decision was taken without adequate consultation with critical stakeholders of the party in the state especially the governorship aspirants on the platform of the party and other contending groups in the polarised structure of the party in the state.

“The decision to adopt an indirect primary by the National Working Committee is fraught with severe implications. First, contrary to the information given to the National Working Committee, there are suits pending in Abuja court seeking to determine the authentic executive of the party in the state. As a matter of fact, at the last hearing, the suit was adjourned till October 2, 2019. Second, arising from the pendency of the various suits to determine the legitimate party executive council in the state, the use of any factional delegate list may amount to an exercise in futility. And lastly, we may have unconsciously set a booby-trap for our party and the stage for the replay of the unfortunate Zamfara scenario.

“We observe that as a party committed to the enthronement of popular democracy, the resort to an indirect primary in the Kogi State chapter of the APC amounts to a muzzling of the wish of the generality of our party members, a victory for merchandised political culture and a deference to Governor Yahaya Bello’s wish to be the judge in his own case.

“It is on record that Bello’s factional party executive council members, which he is angling as delegates for the indirect primary are peopled by his political appointees and loyalists who are on the payroll of the State Government. It is also instructive to note that nearly all the 21 local governments party chairmen are Governor Yahaya Bello’s coordinators. To subject other aspirants to this hostile political mechanism in the name of Indirect Primary amounts to a clear case of political ambush, gross injustice and trust betrayed.

“Whereas Governorship election for Kogi and the Bayelsa States are scheduled for November l6, 2019, we note with sadness the selective approach of the National Working Committee in treating the primary election in Kogi State in isolation of that of Bayelsa State.

“As loyal party men, we would not fold our arms and allow our party to suffer huge political loss arising from the narrow ambition of a non-performing state governor.

“Arising from these cogent observations, we categorically reject the Indirect primary adopted by our party in Kogi State. We urge the national leadership to set up an independent caretaker management committee without delay with the sole mandate of providing a level playing ground for popular direct primary involving all card-carrying members.”

Signatories to the petition were AliyuZakari-Jiya, Dr. Tim Diche, Alhaji Yusuf Haruna, Admiral Usman Jibrin (rtd), Alhaji Mohammed Audu, Alhaji Mohammed Ali, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi, AlhajiJibrin Haruna Mohammed, AIhatiakubu Mohammed, Sheik Ibrahim Jibril and Chief Momoh Y. Obaro.

Others were Prince Sani H. Shuaibu, Comrade Gowon Egbunu, Prince Sanni Shuaibu, Prince Mustapha Mona Audu, Alhaji p Ahmed Ibrahim Aruwa, General Akpa Patrick. Engineer Sunday Edibo, Khalid Adams and Yusuf Ali.

Kogi 2019: 20 APC governorship aspirants reject indirect primary
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