TheCable

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says at least 300,000 of its members will come together in October to participate in a primary election that will produce its presidential candidate for the 2015 election.

Speaking at the end of the party’s first national executive council meeting in Abuja, its national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, said APC would not adopt the delegate system in the primary election, rather the modified direct system, which would involve such large number of people that would be difficult for aspirants to buy over.

He said the party’s primaries for all positions would commence in October.

Mohammed used the opportunity to condemn the various political rallies already being held for President Goodluck Jonathan’s second-term bid, saying that unlike the PDP which would automatically adopt President Jonathan as its candidate, APC would hold a credible primary election for all positions.

“The Peoples Democratic Party and President Jonathan are violating the electoral guidelines with impunity, with the support Jonathan rallies,” he said.

Maintaining that his party would win the October 11 governorship bye-election in Adamawa state, he assured APC’s supporters the defection of the pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, to the PDP would not have any adverse effect on its fortune in the state.

Ribadu contested the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the then Action Congress of Nigeria, one of the opposition parties that merged to become the APC.

Former head of state, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari; former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; governor of Kano state, Rabiu Kwakwanso; former governor of Kwara state, Bukola Saraki; and speaker of the federal house of representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who is set to defect from PDP to APC, are all interested in contesting the election on the platform of the party.