Ahead of the primary election by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to elect its flag bearer for the governorship poll on September 22, one of the leading aspirants, Barrister Kunle Rasheed Adegoke (K-RAD), has faulted the decision of the National Chairman of the Party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and the National Working Committee to adopt the direct system of election which allows all the card carrying members of the party to exercise their rights to vote.
Oshiomhole, had, on Monday announced the approval of the direct system for the election after a meeting of the National Working Committee on the grounds that the system is more democratic and cheaper than the ‘money-induced’ process of collegiate method of nominating candidates.
But while addressing newsmen in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Adegoke faulted Oshiomhole on the argument.
He noted that “as sound as the argument is, it is dogged by certain constitutional, legal, political and moral challenges which simply expose the leadership of our party as being less law-abiding than we ordinarily would expect.”
“We have observed that the procedure adopted in passing the political fatwa endorsing direct primaries is less than constitutional,” he added.
K-RAD further argued that even though Article 20 of APC Constitution 2014 as amended recognised the power of the National Working Committee to enact guidelines for conducting primaries towards nomination of candidates for the party, such power was subject to the National Executive Committee of the party.
He further argued that before the National Executive Committee could approve any guidelines enacted by the National Working Committee, it must sit in a meeting of which seven days notice must have been given to the members prior to its holding.
He added that while the National Working Committee sat on Monday, July 19, there was no sufficient time to convene a meeting of the NEC before the July 19 when the primary is holding.
The aspirant alleged that ” less than 24 hours to the novel direct primary election, no guidelines had been issued by the National Working Committee with the approval of the National Executive Committee to guide all aspirants and voters. It is clear that there are no rules in form of guidelines to even govern the election. It’s a game without rules, which is an advance notice of an imminent chaos.”
He alleged that the direct system was intended to favour one of the aspirants, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, whom he also alleged had been anointed by some leaders of the party.
“It’s sad to note that supporters of the state anointed aspirant are now threatening our supporters that they should not appear at the ballot centres except they are ready to vote for the said anointed aspirant. Equally, they have been intimidating the local government councillors that they would not be paid their salaries if they fail to ensure victory of the said state anointed aspirant in their respective wards,” he said.
He also alleged that the team working for the said state-anointed aspirant had been distributing forms together with a concocted register of members by which they are issuing membership cards for persons who are neither registered nor ordinary members of APC who are ready to collect money and vote for them.
Adegoke however promised to participate in the election and seek redress if it is manipulated as purported.
He urged all his supporters to “remain calm and resolute in salvaging our dear state.
He further lamented that less than 24 hours to the election, APC had no credible membership register to guide the exercise.
Adegoke also observed that the party had not furnished the aspirants with the logistics for the election and had kept them in the dark on an exercise that basically concerns them which, had made it difficult for them to reach out to their supporters before the election.
He attributed what he described as a shoddy arrangement as the party’s leadership agenda to impose a particular candidate on
