AGGRIEVED All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship and councillorship aspirants in the forthcoming local government election in Oyo State have petitioned the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, crying foul over procedures about to be adopted by party leadership in the state.
The aggrieved aspirants, in a petition dated January 9, 2017 and signed by the solicitor, Adekunle Adesina, alleged irregular, undemocratic and unconstitutional procedure about to be adopted in nominating chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the election.
“We are solicitors to the aggrieved chairmanship and councillorship aspirants who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 15 local government areas of Oyo State and on whose behalf and instruction we write this letter to you.
“We are constrained to bring to the attention of the national chairman, the unpopular and unconstitutional procedure, which smacks of a political subterfuge, about to be adopted by the leadership of APC, Oyo State chapter, in nominating its candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship elections.
“Our clients are seeking party nomination to contest elections into their respective posts in the forthcoming local government elections fixed for 11th February, 2017 by the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), after being involved in screening exercise carried out by the party.
“We have been reliably informed by our clients that APC, Oyo State chapter has set machinery in motion towards picking 10 members from each ward who will then nominate party candidates for chairmanship and councillorship elections, contrary to and in a flagrant contravention of the express provisions of Article 20(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) of APC Constitution 2014 (as amended).
“Our clients are worried that if this unprecedented trend is allowed to continue unchecked, or if the state executive committee of the party is allowed to continue to use wanton subterfuge to emasculate the will of the teeming members of the APC in Oyo State, it will ultimately lead to mass defection of party faithful to opposition parties and the imminent defeat of the handpicked candidates in the forthcoming local government chairmanship and councillorship elections.
“Article 20(iii) of APC constitution expressly provides inter alia that nomination of candidates for local government council/area council chairman shall be through direct or indirect primary election to be conducted at the appropriate level.
“Furthermore, Article 20(iv) (a) provides that further to Article 20(iii) of this constitution, indirect primaries for the purpose of nominating a candidate shall be done at a designated venue for that purpose, by an Electoral College of delegates democratically elected by members of the party from the various wards contained in the particular constituency at congresses.
“In a similar vein, APC Oyo State chapter in its guidelines for the nomination of candidates for chairmanship and councillorship elections 2017 provides under paragraph 10 titled ‘Electoral Process’ as follows:
“(a) for aspirants to the councillorship position – special congresses employing indirect open ballot in which registered members vote by open secret ballot.
“(b) for chairmanship aspirants – special congress with special reference to Article 20(iii) of the Constitution of the Party.
“Conclusively, Article 2 of APC constitution provides for the supremacy of the party constitution and the said constitution is only subject to the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and any other Laws for the time being in force within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Therefore, the method being adopted by the leadership of APC, Oyo State chapter, to the extent of its inconsistency with the provisions of APC Constitution and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is null and void and of no effect whatsoever,” the petition read.
The aggrieved aspirants urge the national chairman to use his office to enforce compliance with the clear and extant provisions of APC constitution and party guidelines cited and referred to above in choosing candidates for chairmanship and councillorship elections of February 11.
They warned that anything contrary would be resisted through legal means.
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