Primaries: APC Governors meet Oshiomhole’s led NWC

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum on Thursday met with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Abuja to review and resolve the issues that hampered the conduct of primary elections in some states.

The party’s Governorship and Assembly primaries in most states were marred by crisis and electoral malpractices that led to the suspension of the exercise indefinitely in some states while National and State Houses of Assemblies primaries are yet to be conducted in many states due to disagreement within members.

Speaking to journalists after the closed door meeting, Chairman Nigerian Governors Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulraziz Yari, said they met on matters arising from primary elections held in some states with a view to resolving those issues.

Yari said that the meeting was also intended to make the party stronger as one family so that it can secure 2019 general election.

He said: “We have discussed so many things as you have seen some colleagues; we have one issue or the other, ranging from the Senators disqualification which we discussed as a family and to look at how we can boost the morale of the followers and other issues related.

“So, in resolving that, there is no other person than the National Chairman and Working Committee so we sit down and discussed and steps are going to be taken so that we can understand the way forward.

“National Chairman said they have National Working Committee meeting and the same time we are concerned, if we are not having any candidate anywhere by the 7th, we automatically have no candidate to field for 2019 which time is our number one enemy. We are working harder, faster to ensure that we have these things done so that we can start coming to the convention on Saturday.

“I am saying that apart from the governorship election we had yesterday which is a little bit tough but the outcome is not yet announced but we have not done the Senate yet, we have not done the Representatives,

we have not done the state Assemblies which must all be concluded probably today and tomorrow and then come for the National Convention on Saturday and by Sunday 12 am that is the last day for the conduct of primaries by the parties in Nigeria. Anyone that does anything after that is null and void by the Act of National Assembly”.

Also, the Chairman APC Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha, said: “We are on the party’s primaries. And you know it comes with issues and challenges especially in our democratic structures.

APC do have some few challenges in some few states and we have come to soften the rough edges so we can rebuild unity in the party.

“How we can ensure that aggrieved persons are settled within the primaries is our priorities so, that is what brought us here. Majority of the state where there are issues, we have come here to look at what to do.

And of course you know our party believe in free, fair, justice and equity and we are making sure we keep to that by giving everybody a chance to vote and be voted for”.

On his part, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, disclosed that the meeting was a follow up to the earlier meeting between some APC governors and President Muhammadu Buhari.

“And we are here to see the national chairman on orders and the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari with a view that we resolve all lingering issues amicably, and I am sure that at the end of the day everything will be resolved,” he said.