APC postpones Osun Governorship primary election till Friday

The All Progressives Congress (APC) primary to elect its candidate for the forthcoming Osun governorship election has been postponed from Thursday July 19, till Friday July 20.

The party announced the postponement in a statement issued by Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, its National Publicity Secretary on Wednesday in Abuja.

The statement added that a meeting between the Primary Election Committee, chaired by Gov. Abdul’aziz Yari, of Zamfara and Osun APC stakeholders would hold in Oshogbo, the state capital on Thursday.

Our correspondent recalls that Mr Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman on Monday, July 16, said the party would adopt the direct primary to pick its candidate for the Osun governorship election.

“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’s Constitution which allows for either direct or indirect primary, we have resolved that the governorship election primary 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 want and we are quite happy to oblige,” he said.

Oshiomhole had explained that the essence was to allow more party members to participate in the process of nominating its candidates and to remove issues of corruption or monetising the processes.

He added that the direct primary would give party members a sense of ownership of the outcome of the exercise.

It was reported that all 17 aspirants who obtained the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to contest its ticket for the governorship election slated for Sept. 22, had all been cleared.

All political parties fielding candidates for the Osun governorship election, has up to Monday July 23 to submit the name of their candidates for the election to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).

A political party could however, substitute its candidate afterwards, if the need arises.