Monday, 29 September 2014.
06:39
ALL Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidates retired General Muhammadu Buhari and ex-vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar have clashed over the modus operandi to be used to conduct the party's primary elections.
Both men have signified their intention to run for president and will be throwing their hats into the ring when the APC holds its primaries next month. However, they disagree about how the candidate should be selected with General Buhari wanting the APC to agree on a consensus candidate, while Alhaji Abubakar wants modified primaries.
Over the weekend, the party's national executive committee met but was unable to reach a consensus on the issue of candidate selection. At the meeting, General Buhari’s associates were pushing for a consensus candidate, basing their argument that a majority of the party's positions were filled that way.
However, the Atiku camp has proposed what it called a modified direct primary that would involve about 20,000 delegates choosing the party candidate. That prospect is feared by the members of the Buhari camp who claim that it would offer opportunity to easily woo or take over delegates hitherto pledged to other aspirants.
A spokesman for the Buhari camp, said: “Having carefully examined the APC constitution, especially Article 20 and the Electoral Act 2010, one comes to the inevitable conclusion that it is better to adopt consensus in electing our candidates for House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governor and presidential candidates and where it fails to adopt direct primaries. It is on record that more than 80% of the ward, local government area and state congresses which produced the current executives of our great party were conducted through consensual arrangement.
"Also, more than 95% of the current national executive committee were elected via consensus. When one considers the bitterness, rancour and bad blood indirect primary will most likely generate, it becomes safer to work towards a consensual agreement."
He added that the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) has just announced the nomination of President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate by consensus and commenced campaigning with vigour and dexterity. It is still unclear how the APC will resolve the matter as other candidates have remained mute on the matter.
Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso is said to be indifferent to the matter, while others like Edo State governor Adams Oshiomole and former Kwara State governor Bukola Saraki are yet to take a public stance. Holding modified direct primaries would mean the APC selecting its presidential candidate the way the PDP with about 4,000 to 5,000 delegates coming together to vote at a convention.
See more infor here: http://goo.gl/Kz6Xxj
ALL Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidates retired General Muhammadu Buhari and ex-vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar have clashed over the modus operandi to be used to conduct the party's primary elections.
Both men have signified their intention to run for president and will be throwing their hats into the ring when the APC holds its primaries next month. However, they disagree about how the candidate should be selected with General Buhari wanting the APC to agree on a consensus candidate, while Alhaji Abubakar wants modified primaries.
Over the weekend, the party's national executive committee met but was unable to reach a consensus on the issue of candidate selection. At the meeting, General Buhari’s associates were pushing for a consensus candidate, basing their argument that a majority of the party's positions were filled that way.
However, the Atiku camp has proposed what it called a modified direct primary that would involve about 20,000 delegates choosing the party candidate. That prospect is feared by the members of the Buhari camp who claim that it would offer opportunity to easily woo or take over delegates hitherto pledged to other aspirants.
A spokesman for the Buhari camp, said: “Having carefully examined the APC constitution, especially Article 20 and the Electoral Act 2010, one comes to the inevitable conclusion that it is better to adopt consensus in electing our candidates for House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governor and presidential candidates and where it fails to adopt direct primaries. It is on record that more than 80% of the ward, local government area and state congresses which produced the current executives of our great party were conducted through consensual arrangement.
"Also, more than 95% of the current national executive committee were elected via consensus. When one considers the bitterness, rancour and bad blood indirect primary will most likely generate, it becomes safer to work towards a consensual agreement."
He added that the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) has just announced the nomination of President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate by consensus and commenced campaigning with vigour and dexterity. It is still unclear how the APC will resolve the matter as other candidates have remained mute on the matter.
Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso is said to be indifferent to the matter, while others like Edo State governor Adams Oshiomole and former Kwara State governor Bukola Saraki are yet to take a public stance. Holding modified direct primaries would mean the APC selecting its presidential candidate the way the PDP with about 4,000 to 5,000 delegates coming together to vote at a convention.
See more infor here: http://goo.gl/Kz6Xxj
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