As the 2019 general elections approach, with parties ready to conduct primaries where candidates that will represent the parties for the different positions that are open for contest will be selected, the governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, has declared that the party cannot adopt indirect primary to elect its candidates in the state.
Abe, who is also the senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, made the declaration when he appeared as a guest on a live programme of the African Independent Television (AIT), which was monitored in Port Harcourt
Abe noted that Rivers State is one of the states where the party cannot have indirect primaries as according to him, the entire structure of the party in the state is embroiled in legal controversy with about four or five cases still pending in court.
“So if you want to do indirect primaries, which particular list of delegates are you going to use and which particular Congress,” he asked.
Recall that the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressive Congress has been enmeshed in series of legal battles over the conduct of the party’s state congresses in May.
Theportcitynews reported that a Rivers State High Court in May, declared the congresses null and void but the faction loyal to the minister of transportation and leader of the party in the state, Rotimi Amaechi, on September 4, obtained a perpetual injunction from an Abuja High Court stopping the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomole from dissolving the Ojukaye Flag-Amachree led state executive.
However, the Ojukaye-led executive, after its state executive council meeting on Wednesday, adopted the use of indirect primary citing insecurity and logistics as major reasons for the decision.
Others who reacted after the meeting including a former leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Chidi Llyod, stated that adopting direct primaries would have caused disaffection in the party.
But Abe stated that indirect primaries breed corruption through financial inducements of delegates.
“They say where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit. What you call indirect primaries is a situation where known party members meet in a place to elect candidates.
“These known party members are invariably part of a structure that is already organized. So when people have control of such a structure, the entire exercise is predetermined because they already know who they are going to elect.
“You have to understand that life is dynamic and part of what we promised Nigerians is that we were going to bring change into the country and make it better. Part of the challenge the people have with indirect primaries is that like I said, the outcome is predetermined.
“Secondly, it is very vulnerable to financial inducement because the delegates are known and you can’t target a particular number of people as those that you need to service in order to get your nomination.
“So, this has led over the years to a vast increase in corruption in terms of financial inducement for delegates. In bringing our message for change in Nigeria, there is, therefore, every need for us to look at these things and improve the processes as the country grows older and our democracy matures.
“No matter the argument one may have or may not have, I believe that as far as Nigerian democracy is concerned, the days of indirect primaries are fast drawing to a close”
Meanwhile, the Senator Representing Rivers East senatorial district in the National Assembly, Andrew Uchendu, has stated that the choice of the party to adopt indirect primary for the 2018 state primaries was due to insecurity in the state.
Uchendu stated that conducting direct primary will put delegates at risk as the state is not safe.
