TheCable

A total of 20 governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected the indirect primary approved for the state.

The ruling party had during its national working committee meeting adopted the indirect primary mode of election for the November 16 governorship poll in the state.

“The approval was given after a meeting of the NWC on Friday where a formal request from the Kogi State executive and stakeholders in preference for the Indirect Primary was considered and deliberated on,” Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC’s spokesman, had said.

However, the aspirants rejected the election mode, saying it would deny them a level-playing ground and members, the opportunity to exercise their rights.

In a letter addressed to Adams Oshiomhole, APC national chairman, the aspirants alleged that the ruling party was setting traps for itself with the mode of election.

The aspirants expressed regrets that the APC took the decision without consulting with all relevant stakeholders.

“We regret to observe that such decision was taken without adequate consultation with the party’s critical stakeholders, especially the governorship aspirants on the platform and other contending groups in the party’s polarised structure,” the letter, signed by Patrick Akpa and Godwin Egbunu, read in part.

“The decision to adopt an indirect primary by the NWC is fraught with severe implications.”

The aspirants also alleged that using indirect primaries would give Yahaya Bello, governor of the state, ‘undue advantage over others’.

The aspirants said they would not allow the party to suffer “huge political loss arising from the narrow ambition of a non-performing governor”.