APC to pick Osun guber candidate by direct primary

Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the party will adopt direct primary to pick its candidate for the September 22 Osun governorship election.

He said this on Monday in Abuja while speaking with reporters after a meeting with members of the party’s national working committee (NWC).

Every card-carrying member of the party is Osun state will be allowed to vote in the primary.

Oshiomhole said 17 aspirants who obtained the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms to contest its ticket at its primary slated for Thursday, had all been screened and cleared.

According to him, the 17 aspirants are all competent to effectively govern the state.

“We do not lack competent hands to provide leadership in Osun after the exit of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola,” Oshiomhole said.

“Although all the aspirants had been cleared, it is only one of them that would fly the party’s flag at the election. Regardless of who wins the primary, we hope that the rest of them will support the person to ensure that we do our best to retain the governance of Osun.

“We have decided that in order to ensure popular participation, and to deepen democracy in Osun State, in line with the provision of our party constitution which allows for either direct or indirect primary, we have resolved that the governorship election primary in Osun state will be conducted on the basis of direct primary.

“What that means is that every card-carrying member of our party will participate in the process of nominating the flag bearer of the party.

“This for us, is the most democratic way to conduct election and is in line with what our critical stakeholders from that part of the country wants and we are quite happy to oblige.”