Anambra Guber: APC settles for indirect Primary Election, April 5

By Tom Okpe

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has settled for the Indirect Primary election in the forthcoming Anambra State Governorship election, saying the decision is to carry all stakeholders’ along.

The Party also said advertisment made, seemingly projected the National Working Committee, NWC adopted the Direct Primary election, but in actual fact no positive resolution of the NWC, had been taken before now.

Seven aspirants had obtained nomination and expression of interest forms, to contest the Party’s Governorship Primaries, ahead of the election, proper.

Briefing journalists at the Party National Secretariat, Buhari House, Abuja after its National Working Committee, NWC meeting on Thursday, National Secretary of the Party, Surajudeen Ajibola Bashiru said: “At the NWC, it was put into consideration, and formally decided that the mode of emergence of the candidate for Anambra election will be through Indirect Primary’s.

“This is in order to carry along all stakeholders, a stakeholders meeting with the State Working Committee, State Caucus and the aspirants will hold at the National headquarters of the Party by 1pm on Tuesday next week, to carry them along.

“The NEC of the Party, took cognizance of the fact that advertisment had been made, and it seems the advertisment was seemingly projecting that the NEC had adopted the Direct Primary mode of election, but in actual fact, no positive resolution of the NEC had been taken into consideration before today, yesterday, as to the mode of Primary.

“Of course, there will be supplementary advertisement and public sensitisation, as to the mode of Primary and the new timetable adjusted in line with that decision,” he said.

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The Anambra Governorship election is scheduled for November 8, while the Primary election holds on April 5, 2025.

He also stated that the NWC, considered its proposition to begin to engage with Government appointees on their achievements of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We agreed that the processes will begin in earnest, immediately after the Ramadan fasting so that there will be engagement between the Party and Government officials to x-ray the progress and challenges faced by different Ministries, Departments and Agencies’ of our Government.”

The NWC equally commended President Tinubu and by extension, every member of the Party’s leadership for attending the last Caucus and the National Executive Committee, NEC meeting, saying that, “they gave proper directions for the Party, ahead of our journey in 2027.

“We considered the recently held caucus and NEC meetings of the Party and we are of the opinion that it was largely successful.

“Not withstanding, certain misrepresentation as to who to attend and who not to attend, were discovered.

“Certain people who were not members of the NEC were reported by many media as being absent, whereas they are not members of the NEC, but for some political expediencies, were reported to be absent. Former Governor’s are not members of NEC.

“The National Executive Committee has set up a Committee to review our constitution for the purposes of inclusivity of such elements.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there were some, who were members of the Caucus, and they attended but because they are not members of NEC, they did not attend. The former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan was at the Caucus, but certain media reported that he was absent from NEC.

“The NWC also, reviewed the ongoing membership e-registration of the Party and the consultants doing the work have been mobilized.

“Necessary equipment and software are been put in place to ensure that the exercise, slated to be made public by May is made seamless because our commitment is that, before the next election, we would have a register that has integrity, also, be useful for the purposes of accessing the demographics within the Party.

“Correspondence to this effect, will be made to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC soon,” he added.