No More Delegates List – Adams Oshiomhole

The National Chairman of the governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has said that delegates list will not be used in the upcoming Osun State Gubernatorial primary election of the party.

“We have resolved that the governorship election in Osun State will be conducted on the basis of direct primary, which means that every card carrying members of our party will participate in the process of nominating the flagbearer of the party who will contest the governorship election on our party’s platform,” Oshiomhole said.

The APC National Chairman said that he had observed that delegates list was usually the source of acrimony at the party primaries, with losers often accusing the party leadership of smuggling names into the list or outright replacing the existing ones. So baring any last minute change, the All Progressives Congress (APC) will adopt the process of a direct primary to choose its governorship candidate for the Osun State governorship election.

The National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, made this known on Monday in Abuja after a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

He noted that the process will enable the card-carrying members of the party to have a say and participate in the selection of the candidate that will fly the party’s flag, instead of few delegates determining the selection.

According to Oshiomhole, this is the most democratic way to conduct election, and is in line with the yearnings of critical stakeholders.

“The more we allow our party members to participate in the process of nominating candidate, the more we will eliminate the issue of corruption or monetising the processes of nominating candidate in addition to the fact that party members will have sense of ownership of the outcome of the exercise,” he said.

In order to ensure that exercise is conducted by very competent men and women of proven character and integrity and who cannot be compromised, Oshiomhole said that the NWC had nominated the Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, to lead a panel that will organise the primary election in Osun State.

“He is incidentally the Chairman of Governors’ Forum; given his status and his pedigree, we have no doubt that no one can compromise him and he will approach this exercise in line with the spirit of our constitution,” he said.

“He will be working with four other persons of integrity and any other person they want to co-opt to assist them to ensure the primary is conducted hitch-free and the outcome lays a foundation for popular mobilisation of the Osun electorate.

“Our democracy has to grow and our constitution anticipates and allows participatory primaries; we are proud that now the people of Osun State are ready to allow party members rather than party caucus to determine who will fly our flag. That is more democratic” Oshiomhole concluded.