Direct Primaries: Ondo APC factional group commences registration of members

AHEAD of the 2019 general election, the factional group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, who embraced the direct mode of primaries, has commenced the registration of members of the party in Ondo State.

The factional Chairman of the party, Mr Idowu Otetubi, who disclosed this, said the registration was in preparation towards the use of direct primary adopted by the faction to elect candidates for the next year’s general election.

Reading the faction resolutions in a communique after the meeting, Otetubi said the faction decided to embrace direct primaries for the election because “It holds the key to the unity of APC in Ondo State.”

He expressed the faction’s commitment to the decision of the National body of the party on the mode of election to be adopted, noting that the direct mode of primaries is less expensive and representative enough and possess the capacity to unite the party.

The communiqué read “We are committed to the progressive dispositions of our party at the national level.

“We equally share the view that a Democrat must embrace direct primary as openly embraced by President Muhammadu Buhari and leaders of our party. We are poised to replicate same voting system here in Ondo State.

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“Direct primary, unlike indirect that gives a huge privilege of selection of candidates to a negligible few privilege individuals that are selected to honour the bidding of those with deep pockets.

“Direct primary will not only return power and right of choice to party members, but it will also conquer imposition and tendency of the emperor in leadership that has chosen to stray away from progressive politics and democratic norms.”

“Pending the time the court will adjudicate on the fraudulent delegate lists that a few persons wrote in the corners of their rooms and purportedly forced on the party will be resolved, the direct primary is the only way available to elect the candidates of the party for the 2019 general elections in Ondo State”.

The faction described the position of the Ade Adetimehin led faction of the party, on the non-availability of membership register as hiding under one finger and said “APC membership register is with the national secretariat in Abuja.

“Since it is updated daily, the soft and the hard copies shall be made available to our state and any other states in Nigeria for the purpose of direct Primary, we are convinced its implementations will be smooth and easy.”

However, the Ade Adetimehin led faction has disowned the registration of members preparatory to the primaries of the party, saying the party had adopted the delegate system in order to elect candidates for the next election.