Why we adopted direct primaries for Niger State -Gov Sani Bello
Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has offered explanations why the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state opted for the direct method of choosing the party’s flagbearers for the party’s primary elections ahead of next year’s general elections.
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Jibrin Baba Ndace, Governor Sani-Bello explained that the adoption of direct primaries by the Niger State chapter of the APC was in line with the national body in order to produce credible candidates as the 2019 general election approaches.
“It had to go with the people’s choice as large percentage of stakeholders in the state wanted direct primary election”, the governor stated.
The leadership of the APC in the state had penultimate week resolved, after a heated stakeholders’ meeting, that the party in the state would adopt direct method in its primary elections in line with the decision taken by the national working committee of the party.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC had asked all state chapters of the party to choose between the three options of direct, indirect and consensus methods in arriving at how flag bearers were picked.
Governor Sani Bello explained at a meeting with stakeholders of the party from Shiroro and Magama local government areas of the state who came to see him over thorny issues from their councils as fallouts from the last stakeholders’ meeting, that the direct primary election method was the best option.
The governor said that the adoption of direct primaries by the state chapter of the APC was to produce credible and acceptable flag bearers for the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.
According to him, the choice of flag bearers for the party must be done in the open and according to what the generality of the members of the party want.
Governor Bello further said that direct primaries would enable all aspirants test their popularity and that the method would conversely eliminate any suspicion of foul play.
He said, “All aspirants would go through direct primaries in order to avoid undue disagreements to ensure transparency in the conduct of the exercise and further build unity in the party.”
Council Chairmen of the party in Shiroro and Magama local government areas who spoke in separate interviews, said their visit was to pledge solidarity and support for the governor for the forthcoming 2019 elections.
They applauded the efforts of the governor in the development of local government areas in the state and commended him for adopting the direct primaries method in the forthcoming APC primary elections in the state.
