The National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has adopted direct primaries for the Edo State governorship election, two members of the NWC said, a move that has been condemned by the state chapter of the party.
The NWC at its Thursday meeting, didn’t reached a decision on the method for Ondo State primaries.
The Edo State APC primary has been slated for June 22 while that of Ondo State is to hold on July 20.
In an interview with newsmen on Friday, the APC spokesperson, Lanre Issa-Onilu, confirmed that the party’s NWC reached the agreement on Thursday at the party secretariat in Abuja.
“It is true, we’ve adopted a direct primary method for Edo governorship primary,” he said but declined further comment on the new development.
However, two sources within the NWC, who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak on the matter, said that the party adopted the direct primary for Edo State and granted a waiver to an aspirant, Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
One of the sources said the argument for the direct primary at Thursdays NWC meeting was hinged on the fact that the method has been tried in the state before and it would possibly prevent an uproar from members of the APC in Edo State.
“The principle is what has been done before, it is easy to repeat it. The last primary that was done in Edo was direct, so its easier to go by what the people are used to over there instead of starting something afresh with its challenges.
“It is easier to learn from what you have done in a particular place and improve on it,” the source, an NWC members in attendance at the meeting said.
When asked on the possibility of the state branch of the APC making a case for indirect primary system, he nullified this possibility saying “the state (branch of APC) does not have the constitutional right to decide the method of primary for governorship ticket.”
Direct primaries involve the participation of all party members in the selection of party candidates while indirect primaries, on the other hand, involve the use of delegates.
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