APC’s Black Market, Janjaweed Primaries in Kogi

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The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries conducted on August 29 that produced the incumbent Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello as party’s flag bearer for November 16 elections was the worst in history. It’s a product of flawed process and a broad day robbery against the good people of Kogi orchestrated by top echelon of the party in Abuja as dictated by the cabals in the Presidency.

The exercise was laced with whims and caprice of APC leadership in breach of the party’s Constitution. This was in the guise of conscripting their parochial agenda in returning Yahaya Bello as the flag bearer at all cost.

The process started with disqualification of candidates over unsubstantiated claims. The re-clearance was done in a hurry afterthought at a time those re-cleared hadn’t time to converse with delegates.

APC’s party Constitution was succinct on how delegates emerge through Electoral college. Section 80  subsection 20-25 expressed that delegates for purposes of nomination of a gubernatorial candidate must emerge through election process at the ward level.  It therefore means party executive at the ward,  local government and State levels must firstly be elected to become delegates before participating in guber primaries.

None of these processes was observed thus, the primary could pass for a black market approach perpetuated by gangs akin to janjaweed. The outcome has left the party in quagmire in the state. That exercise would undoubtedly generate legal fireworks with members of the bar and the bench likely to have a field day in court later.

The spurious allocation of 3,097 votes out of over 4000 to Yahaya Bello who contested against ten after disqualification of six others under controversial circumstances  majorly from Kogi East Senatorial District left much to be desired.  It leaves one with suspicion against the party leadership that something more than normal was fishy.  

If Yahaya Bello had emerged as the party’s flag bearer in a free and fair process,  the National Chairman,  Comrade Adams Oshiomole wouldn’t have been dissipating energy in damage control as it were.  People’s ‘fait accompli’ in the party’s leadership have been flattened and this is obviously a precursor to its failure come November 16 Kogi Gubernatorial election.

The party Constitution allows direct,  indirect and consensus approach to generating a gubernatorial candidate or any candidate as the case may be.   But without recourse to other aspirants,  the National Working Committee (NWC) brazenly adopted indirect,  thereby contoured the process in favour of one person against others. The APC NWC claimed that their position was the choice of APC State APC working Committee,  thereby made the party more volatile than ever in Kogi State.

The decision of NWC,  though, rocked with protests by other aspirants,  however, fell on deaf ears. The trajectory of the exercise glaringly fell short of any standard expected of a ruling party for that matter and the consequences wouldn’t be anything short of fatalities.  

Obviously, Bello’s candidacy was the choice of some elements among the APC leadership and not the people of Kogi State.   There was never an opportunity for delegates to chose their preferred candidate.   The party was never democratic. Ballot papers were pre-written in Yahaya Bello’s name which were forced on delegates to cast into boxes. What a bizarre!

Moreso,  aspirants weren’t treated as if APC was their choice of party as the leadership never engaged them or pretended to be on the side of any  of them.  Those who contested primaries raised eyebrow over Bello’s malpractice,  but the leadership rather than show concern became silent.

Following the public outcry, the National Leader of the party described aspirants complaints as cacophony of the market noise.

Placing Kogi PDP primaries in which Engr. Musa Wada won its flagship side by side with the APC of Yahaya Bello, one would agree that the PDP got the process that led to the emergence of its candidate right. In that right, it would not be herculean pacifying those who lost the primaries and by extension, PDP would be more solidified to face the November 16 gubernorship election.

Hence, the APC leadership lack the morality to bring aggrieved members together having been culprit in the charade called primaries. It remains to be seen how APC would heal wounds before the election.

– Atekojo Samson Usman is the Director of Media and Publicity, APC Justice Forum/Buhari Support groups.


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