Edo Governorship: APC adopts direct primaries

The All Progressives Congress. APC, has picked the direct primary method for the Edo State governorship primaries scheduled for June 22, 2020.

Making the decision known to the media, the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress also granted a waiver to one of the aspirants, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, who is believed to be the preferred candidate of the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

This according to inside source is the outcome of the APC NWC meeting, held at the party’s National Secretariat, in Abuja, on Thursday.

A source, who attended the meeting said, “Yes, we agreed on the direct primary as the method of primary for the Edo State governorship election.”

On the issue of waiver, he said, “One of the aspirants applied for a waiver to enable him to contest in the primaries and it was granted.”

When asked if these decisions were taken at the NWC meeting, the National Vice-Chairman (South South), Hilliard Eta, said, “Yes.”

Asked if a decision was taken on the issue raised in the letter written by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuiabu, was discussed, he said, “It is a non-issue.”

The Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, who was conspicuously absent from the meeting, said he did not attend because the contents of his letter were clear. He simply said, “I cannot be a part of illegality.”

The former federal lawmaker had taken issue with the method adopted in choosing the party’s acting National Secretary. According to him, the method was unknown to the APC constitution.

He pointed out that the “APC constitution provides that party officials at the national level can only be elected at a convention and not by appointment.”

He further argued that since substantive occupants of positions in the NWC, such persons could act in such a capacity in the absence of their principals until such a time an election was held to fill the position.

Thursday’s NWC meeting which was chaired by Oshiomhole, had in attendance, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the National Secretary, Waziri Bulama, National Organising Secretary, Emma Ibidiro and National Legal Adviser, Babatunde Ogala. Others include the National Vice-Chairman (North-West), Inuwa Abdulkadir and his counterpart from the South-South, Hilliard Eta.