ABOUT 37 governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday stormed the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja to declare support for indirect primary.

Their position was contrary to those of 20 aspirants that had earlier on Monday protested against the party’s decision.

Speaking under the aegis of the Coalition of Kogi APC aspirants, the coalition said they were shocked by the opposition to the indirect primaries ordered by the National Working Committee of the party.

Addressing journalists on Thursday, the Chairman of the coalition, Amade Edime, said the group of 20 aspirants were unknown to the party and could not make decisions for it.

He said, “Even the NWC itself cannot claim to have run into them at any of the many programs held by APC Kogi since 2015. Yet they were hosted in the hallowed Chambers of our National Secretariat and granted the audience.

“We are shocked because some of the individuals who came here as aspirants seeking the party’s ticket were openly working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party up to the last round of elections just three months ago.

“It is also clear to anybody who is on the ground in Kogi State that the real aim of their so-called aspirations is to destabilise the party from within as we go into the 2019 Kogi State Governorship Election.”

Alleging that the protesters had been destabilising the party with court cases, media attacks, ethnic sentiments, religious bias, and even violence, the coalition said the NWC members must not allow themselves to be deceived by their allegations.

“It must be stressed that historically, the APC in Kogi State had always adopted indirect primaries and it has always worked for her. In 2015, indirect primaries produced the Late Prince Abubakar Audu (may his soul rest in peace). In 2019, indirect primaries gave us two out of three Senators, seven out of nine House of Representatives members and 25 out of 25 State House of Assembly. Why do they want to change a winning formula so late in the game, if they do not have sinister intentions?

“The closest thing to direct primaries we ever tried in Kogi APC was the recall exercise for the Senator for Kogi West, who decamped to the opposition after being elected on our ticket. That recall exercise failed. Should we not, therefore, suspect the motive of persons who want to force the volatile direct primaries on us?

“As young and loyal aspirants we stand unshakably for the indirect primaries earlier approved for us by our party. Neither NEC nor even the NWC has issued a contrary directive to any state branch after the adoption and approval of modes of primaries. Guided by the foregoing many of us here have gone to great costs in engaging delegates and it is absolutely unacceptable for anyone to move the goalpost now. Let it be known that we will go to every legal extent to resist any attempt to single Kogi APC out for the imposition of the expensive and unworkable direct primaries,” the coalition said. – Punch

– July 11, 2019 @ 15:55 GMT |