An APC governorship aspirant in Abia, Chief Daniel Eke, has advocated the adoption of direct mode of primaries for the election of a governorship candidate for the party.
Eke made the call in a statement, entitled “Toward the victory of APC in Abia”, in Umuahia and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.
He appealed to the national leadership of the party to consider direct primary as the most viable option to elect the most popular and credible candidate that would win the governorship poll for the party in Abia.
“We at Chief Daniel Eke campaign organisation, a formidable and frontline APC governorship aspirant in Abia, wish to unequivocally reiterate our unfettered loyalty for our great party.
“We also state our resolve and diligence in fulfilling our obligations to our great party as prescribed under Article 9.2 of the 2022 Constitution (as amended).
“With profound respect, we call on the national leadership of our great party to consider the yearnings of the teeming supporters of APC in Abia state and adopt the direct mode of primaries in the state, pursuant to Article 20.4 of our party’s Constitution.
“This mode will help to maintain the geometric momentum at which the membership of the party is growing in the state in consistence with the tenets of democracy and liberalism.”
The statement further noted that power shift among the three senatorial districts of the state had become an agelong tradition and “a sensibility that no value can override”.
“The party, therefore, shall be risking it’s chances of winning the state to correct the misgovernce of PDP, as this is also recognised under Article 20.4(iv) of the constitution of our party.
“We acknowledge the supremacy of the party and concomitantly emphasise that, should the party decide to adopt a consensus mode of nomination, it should not be done without recourse to section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022, where duly signed written consents of aspirants are required.
“Any other thing to the contrary shall wear an incongruous cloak.
“Be it expressly known that we are not aware of any form of harmonisation or allocation of elective positions within the Abia state chapter of our cherished party.
“We respectfully make this appeal, pursuant to the exercise of our inalienable and fundamental rights as citizens of this great country Nigeria, which are guaranteed under sections 34,39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” the statement added.
The campaign organisation expressed the confidence that the party’s leadership would do the needful and that which was right in the overall interest of the party, its governorship aspirants and members in Abia.
NAN
