..Says only NEC can approve mode of primaries …APC has no updated register for direct primaries

The chances of Governor Godwin Obaseki to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 19 Edo Governorship election are getting brighter as his main stumbling blocks are about to be removed.

Obaseki is having an uphill task to get his party’s return ticket due to differences with his predecessor and APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole who influenced the adoption of direct mode of primaries to reduce the incumbent Governor’s control and is backing Osagie Ize-Iyamu for the ticket.

But, the pioneer Deputy National Auditor of the APC Muhammad Bala-Jibrin called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the party’s National Leader, Bola Tinubu and all other well-meaning leaders of APC to come out and condemn the acts of impunity by Oshiomhole and save the party from imminent collapse.

He said Oshiomhole is engaged in not only abuse of office but is trampling on the APC Constitution simply to perpetuate impunity and injustice just because he holds the office of National Chairman.

Jibrin emphasized that it is the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) and not the National Working Committee (NWC) has the final say on the mode of the primary election as recently done for Edo.

He argued that Article 20 (IV) of APC Constitution states that: “Without prejudice to Article 20(u) and (iii) of this Constitution, the National Working Committee shall subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee make Rules and Regulations for the nomination of candidates through primary elections”.

“This shows that the powers to determine the mode/type of election to be used for the nomination of candidates rests with NEC and not NWC, or at least MUST get the approval of NEC. So, the truth is that Edo State APC chapter was correct to say that only the NEC has the final say on the matter and not the NWC”, Jibrin maintained.

Insisting that NWC was only delegated once to adopt mode of primaries, the National Auditor of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) said: “We would recall that on August 29, 2018, the APC’s NEC delegated this function to NWC and the State Chapters of the Party only for the purpose of Osun and Ekiti primary elections and not in perpetuity”.

According to him, the NEC resolution on this was that: “The State Executive Committee (SEC) shall in consultation with critical Stakeholders in each state identify and agree among themselves the mode of the primary election to be applied in their state”.

“Therefore, when we take the constitutional provision, and the decision of NEC together, it is evident that the NWC has no power whatsoever on these matters until they go back to NEC. However, both were flagrantly disregarded and disobeyed by the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole”.

Jibrin in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja also lamented that: “In his bid to continue with illegalities and acts of impunity, which he perpetrated on a large scale during the November 2018 APC primary elections, the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, without conscience and sense of fairness and justice wrote a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the APC had decided to adopt Direct Primary for the Edo State APC Governorship.

“He did this three day ahead of the meeting of NWC that was supposed to decide on the matter. Under normal circumstance, this immoral action is enough to remove him from office because it is not just an infraction but a desecration of anything just and fair. The NWC members are also culpable on that.

“It is important to note that the APC Constitution did not define or explain the meaning of a direct primary election. Article 20 ii(a) stated that direct primary would be used in the nomination of councillorship election”.

The former Governorship aspirant in Bauchi State said the contemplation of the drafters of the APC Constitution is that direct primary means allowing all card-carrying party members to vote in a primary election but there are two issues that must be addressed or the whole exercise will be subjected to abuse and manipulation by Oshiomhole.

Citing Article 9.3 (i) of the APC Constitution which states that: “Only fully registered and financially up-to- datemembers of the Party shall have the right to vote and be voted for into any of the elective positions”, Jibrin said only the NEC can decide who is qualified to vote or be voted for, including the mode of the election of candidates during the primary election.

He called on NWC and Oshiomhole to subject themselves to the NEC, as the only constitutional body that has the final say on the issue, adding that NEC should summon an emergency meeting and thrash out the issues once and for all.

Jibrin further argued that APC has no updated register for the conduct of direct primaries as required by party’s Constitution, hence the insistence of adopting a direct primary without a Register of members smacks of sinister motive to cause confusion and violence and manipulate the process to serve the whims and caprices of Oshiomhole.

He said: “The most elementary requirement is an authentic register of party members. Article 9.4 (i) states that: “…the party shall update its membership records every six months and remit updated copies to appropriate Secretariats…”As we speak, the National Secretariat of the APC has no up to date Register of members.

“The last time the register was updated was in 2017, and since then much water has passed under the bridge with the defection of some APC leaders, like Atiku, Kwankwaso, Saraki, Yakubu Dogara, etc. to PDP, and the decamping of some PDP leaders to APC. As the lawyers say, you can’t build something on nothing.

“We saw Pastor Ize-Iyamu, the person Comrade Oshiomhole want to impose by all means as the Governorship candidate of APC in the 2020 Edo elections, announcing on live program on AIT that he has registered as member of APC online.

“When did the APC develop online platform for membership registration? Where is the registration portal domicile and who manage it? When has the APC announce such development? Has it been advertised? Has the party extended the online registration of members to Kano, Kwara, Taraba, Cross River, Ogun and other states where we have exodus of members in and out of the party shortly before the 2019 general elections?”.