S’West APC Backs NWC on Friday’s Primary for Ekiti

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-west zone have expressed support for the decision of the party’s national leadership to conduct a fresh governorship primary election in Ekiti State.

In a communique issued at the end of their meeting  wednesday, the leaders said they had decided “that given the extent of planning and logistics involved and the closeness of the deadline for the conduct of primaries by all political parties in Ekiti State as well as submission of names of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it would be better to go by the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to conduct a fresh indirect primary election in the state on May 11, 2018”.

The leaders said they took the decision having been assured by both the National Chairman of the party as well as the Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura that the rejuvenated Primary Election Committee would put new and extra measures in place to ensure a restoration of the integrity of the electoral process aimed at producing a credible candidate with the highest number of votes.

The communique jointly signed by former national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, national leader of the party. Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other leaders from the zones stated: “In view of this, the entire leadership of the party from the South-west geo-political region hereby calls on all the delegates in Ekiti State to ensure full and active participation at the primary election on Friday.

“We also encourage delegates to vote according to their conscience and ensure that the process is not monetised in the overall interest of our party, the growth of our democracy and consistent with our progressive tradition which our people are noted for. The aspirants themselves are enjoined to shun all manners of sharp practices and avoid any resort to violence during the rescheduled primaries.”

The leaders at the meeting held at the Lagos State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, were Akande, Tinubu, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Niyi Adebayo and Chief Pius Akinyelure.

Among other issues, the question of how to conduct a free, credible and transparent primary election was discussed at the meeting.

They said the aspirants were agreeable to the intervention and admonition of the leaders that they maintain the peace throughout the process.

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