APC Primaries: Party Postpones National Assembly Primary Elections In Ekiti

Agency ReporterOctober 4, 2018

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The Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has postponed its National Assembly primary elections.

The primary is scheduled to hold today (Thursday) in all the 177 Wards across the 16 local government areas of the state.

The reason for its postponement has not yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.

Last week, The NWC released the guidelines for the conduct of the primaries in all the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory and the direct primary was specifically slated for Ekiti.

But the party’s SWC in the state at its emergency meeting held on Monday, October 1, took a decision that ran contrary to what the Oshiomhole-led NWC had directed, by opting for the indirect system.

Some National Assembly contestants protested on Tuesday against the decision of the State Working Committee (SWC) to adopt the indirect method for the conduct of its primary ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The aspirants, whose supporters stormed the state secretariat of the party at Ajilosun area of Ado Ekiti, the state capital, around 11 am said the move was not in line with the directive of the National Working Committee that direct primary should be used.

The angry protesters, also alleged that some party leaders in the state are supporting indirect primary to ensure the emergence of their allies.

The aggrieved aspirants, who are vying for Senate and House of Representatives seats across the state, include Messrs Bimbo Daramola, Kayode Babade, Yemi Olayinka, Ayo Oshinkolu and Mrs. Olutoyin Ajakaiye.

Daramola, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, accused the state executives of the party of doing the bidding of the governor-elect, to edge them out of the primary under the flimsy excuse of indirect primaries, contrary to the decision of the national secretariat.

The former House of Representatives member said it was wrong for the state executives to have allowed an individual to impose his candidates on the party.

He said: “It was bad for the APC that just won the governorship election to be behaving in this manner. We were supposed to be given the opportunity to test our popularity in the primaries, rather than resorting to imposition.