The crisis over the mode of primary to be adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the governorship election in Kogi State continued on Sunday as the stakeholders of the party insisted that only a direct primary could save the party from defeat.

The stakeholders warned the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party against imposing a candidate on members and the people of the state, saying such move could negatively affect the party in the November 16 election.

A statement by the Kogi State Stakeholders Forum and signed by Tijani Abdullahi, said the party could only repeat the feat of 2015 if a level playing field is provided for all aspirants for a free, fair and credible process that will be acceptable to all irrespective of the outcome.

The forum noted that it would be wrong to assume that all is well within the APC in Kogi State, saying a lot still needed to be done to achieve cohesion and unity in the party.

The stakeholders told the national leadership of the party to be Carey with some people known as “online posters aspirants” that had ridiculed the party among the populace.

The statement read in part. “To proclaim all is well with APC in the State is deceitful and playing the ostrich which might have unpalatable consequences for the party in the coming election.

Despite the numbers of aspirants who have indicated the desire to contest, the leadership of our party should ignore any position expressed by online poster aspirants on which mode of election to adopt for the primaries.

“Sadly, our State has been turned to a Confluence of Absurd Comedies wherein confused individuals who for lucre will be recruited and robed as aspirants just to misdirect the national leadership in order to ensure their indirect primary preference is foisted on loyal party members.

“Why is that it is only the appointees’ cronies and apologists of Alhaji Yahaya Bello that are strenuously pushing for the indirect primaries? This is despite the crisis that has engulfed the party after the death of late Prince Abubakar Audu and inauguration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello”.

The stakeholders urged the national leadership of the party not to be deceived by the antics of certain individuals that were bent on foisting themselves on the majority.

According to the stakeholders, since the state governor had expressed his readiness for any form of primary adopted by the party, the NWC should, therefore, use the direct primary that would enable every card-carrying member of the party to participate.

The forum said, “In view of the fact that Alhaji Yahaya Bello had proclaimed his readiness for either Indirect or Direct primaries, we urge the National leadership of our great party to revisit and reverse its earlier pronouncement on the adoption of the indirect option for the party’s primaries in August 2019.

“We are firmly convinced that, Direct primaries will enable the level playing field majority of aspirants have been clamouring for. The indirect primary will confer an unmerited advantage on some aspirants which will reduce the process into an unfair, restricted and compromised contest. The consequences of the indirect primary election for our great party will be dire which makes our call for direct primary election imperative.

“We are not oblivious of the mischievous misrepresentation that informed the initial indirect primary option announced by the National Working Committee of our great party but we hope and expect reason will be permitted to prevail now that the true state of affairs have been revealed.

It would be recalled that no fewer than 20 aspirants on the platform of the party had protested against the adoption of indirect primary by the NWC of the party. (Nigerian Tribune)

Update news