Bayelsa guber: APC postpones primary, adopts direct mode, as Court fails to stop APC primary in Kogi

Patrick Okohue

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has shifted the date of the governorship primary for Bayelsa to Saturday, August 31.

The APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) has also adopted the direct primary mode for the state. The party’s NWC has also chosen indirect primary mode for choosing its governorship candidate in Kogi state.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed the date for the Bayelsa governorship primary from Thursday, August 29 to Saturday August 31.

The ruling party said this in a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu in Abuja on Wednesday, August 28.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the party had on July 9 released its table to conduct Kogi and Bayelsa governorship primaries on Thursday.

NAN also reports that the party has adopted the direct mode of primary for the selection of its candidate in Bayelsa while choosing indirect primary in Kogi.

According to Issa-Onilu, the party has adopted the direct mode of primary in line with the written request of the Bayelsa State chapter and majority of the stakeholders.

“This is in compliance with the decision of the APC National Executive Committee (NEC), which grants state chapters and majority of party leaders in a state the right to decide on the mode of primary they wish to adopt,” the party’s spokesman said.

In a related development, some members of APC on the auspice of Kogi Mandate Group, have expressed concern over the disqualification of a Kogi governorship aspirant, Babatunde Irukera.

In a related development, the Vacation Judge sitting at the High Court of Justice headquarters, Lokoja, Kogi State, Hon. Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu, has declined the exparte application filed by Mustapha Mona Audu to stop the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which is ongoing at the confluence stadium Lokoja.

Mustapha Audu had filed an experte application before the Vacation Judge “pursuant to section 6(6)a and (b) of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria as amended and order 11 rule 7, sub 1 & 2 of the Kogi State (Civil Procedure)5 Rules 2006.”

He sought among others, an interim order restraining the defendants from conducting the Kogi State governorship primary election which is ongoing pending the determination of motion on notice before the court.

He also sought an interim order to restrain the defendants from organising any activities connected to the conduct of the election and any other order that the court may deem necessary to make in the circumstance.

Defendants in the suit are Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the APC; the Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election; the Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Appeal Committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The grounds on which the applicant based his request in the originating summons with suit no HCL/34/2019 and dated 28th August, 2019 include, among others, that the exclusion of his name from the governorship aspirants in the list of governorship candidates of the APC was a breach of his right and that the conduct of the screening exercise by the party was in breach of the party’s constitution.

He, therefore, wanted the court to direct that he be included as one of the aspirants contesting the primary election and an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from conducting the primary without including his name.

He said he will suffer irreparable loss if the defendants were not restrained from conducting the primary election. The motion was supported by a fifteen paragraph affidavit deposed to by the applicant with another affidavit of urgency of seven paragraphs.

Ruling on the matter, Hon. Justice Awulu, after listening to counsel to the applicant, D. D. Dugbanya Esq., declined to stop the conduct of the governorship primary election.

Dugbanya had relied on the affidavits and adopted the written address filed along with the motion.

Hon. Justice Awulu stated in his ruling: “I have perused the application vis-à-vis the affidavits in support and of urgency along with the written address of counsel.

I have refrained from raising the issue of jurisdiction suo moto at this stage to prevent entry into the arena. Let me save that until the motion on notice.”