Osun Elect: APC to embrace direct primary to choose candidate

The party National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has stated his party All Progressives Congress (APC) has will be using direct primary election as means of choosing its candidate for  the general elections, after a meeting of the members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

Oshiomhole, wshile addressing the press said that the party would use the method to select its candidate for the Osun State governorship election.

The APC chairman said that the party believes that Direct Primary has a better latitude than the indirect primary, as every member of the party would be given a sense of belonging in the party.

Speaking on the procedures of the party’s primary, Oshiomhole said, “We have decided that in other to ensure popular participation, and to deepen democracy in Osun State, in-line with the provision of our party constitution which allow for either direct or indirect primary, we have resolved that the governorship election primary in Osun state will be conducted on the basis of direct primary. What that means is that every card carrying member of our party will participate in the process of nominating the flag nearer of the party.

“This for us, is the most democratic way to conduct election and is in line with what our critical stakeholders from that part of the country want and we are quite happy to oblige. The whole idea of that the more we allow our party members to participate in the process of nominating candidates, we will remove the issue of corruption or monetizing the processes of nominating aging candidates, in addition to the fact that party members will have a sense of ownership of the outcome of the exercise.

“We have also decided to nominate a panel that will be chaired by the governor of Zamfara state who is also the chairman of the governors forum. We have no doubt that no one can compromise him and will approach this exercise inline with the spirit and letters of our constitution. He will be assisted by four others who will work with him to ensure that this direct primary is conducted hitch free and the outcome lay a foundation for popular mobilization of the Osun electorates.”

Article 20 section iii of the APC constitution states that nomination of candidates for local government council/Area Council Chairman, state House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governor and President shall be through direct or indirect primary election to be conducted at the appropriate level.

Asked why the party was adopted the direct primary to select Osun governorship candidate, Oshiomhole said, “I think, our slogan is change, but we have not changed from bad to worse. We have only changed from a situation where only few delegates who fly the flag of the party to one in which all party members have a say and can participate actively.

“Our democracy has to grow and our constitution allows for this process and I am proud that the people of Osun state are ready to go through the whole hog of allowing party members rather than allowing party caucus to determine who flys our flag. I think that is more democratic.

“We see in America how party leaders go from one leader to another as voting goes on even before they come back to the proper election and I think the beauty in that is those members have a sense of ownership of that person and therefore we have a duty to mobilize for that person so that he wins. We are not detained by a particular approach but we are doing this in line with the wishes of the real stakeholders in Osun state as we know then.”