The All Progressives Congress, APC, is set to hold its first direct primaries across the country Friday, with President Muhammadu Buhari the only aspirant contesting for the party’s ticket.
The direct primary holding today would be the first direct primary that a major political party would be holding to choose a presidential ticket in recent times.
Unlike the delegate or indirect system of choosing party candidates for election, direct primary requires the involvement of all party members voting in their respective wards for the aspirant of their choice.
President Buhari, who declared his intention for a second term on April 9 at a meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the APC, had based his claim on the need to consolidate on his three pronged agenda of security, anti-corruption and the economy.
Four other aspirants- Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, Ahmed Garba II, Chief Udo Udeogaranya, Alhaji Mumakai Unagha who bid for the ticket opted out, alleging systematic exclusion by the party’s leadership.
All four, however, have teamed up to oppose today’s primary on the claim that the requirements for the purchase of the nomination forms were against the provisions of the constitution.
They particularly claimed that the N45 million nomination form and expression of interest forms were prohibitive and demanded that the forms be scaled down, failing which they would take the party to court.
“Failure to adhere to the aforementioned demands will give us no other option than to lead the masses in conducting the primaries in line with extant electoral laws and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the aspirants said.
