Eleven of the 16 members of the State Working Committee of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State have faulted the party’s direct method of primary election used to pick the flag bearer to contest the September 22nd governorship election in the state.
Addressing newsmen in Ilesa, Osun State, the acting Chairman of the party, Alhaji Isa Azeez Adesiji said that the state working committee of the party rejected the governorship primaries declaring the exercise as null and void.
It would be recalled that the state working committee had had earlier on Monday announced the suspension of Gboyega Famodun and Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile as chairman and secretary of the party.
The State Working Committee thereafter announced Alhaji Isa Azeez Adesiji and Alhaji Bakare Idera as acting chairman and acting secretary respectively.
Adesiji flanked by members of state working committee of the party dissociated members of the committee from the primary election carried out on Friday adding that only the two suspended officers of the party were involved in the exercise.
Other members of the state working committee present are Ogunremi Oladosu, Vice Chairman, Yinusa Akintola Amobi, Osun West Senatorial leader, Alhaja Kudirat Fakokunde, State Women Leader, Bakare Rasheed Idera, Acting Secretary, Prince Ademola Bamidele, State Auditor, Niran Mojeed, state youth leader, Akin Morakinyo, Public Relations Officer, Afolabi Aina, Assistant PRO, Wole Adunola, Ex-officio and Dr. Idayat Bakare, Assistant Welfare Officer.
Others are Tajudeen Agbeti, ex-officio, Oluwole Aliyu, welfare officer, Adegoke Ogunsola, Legal Adviser, Sikiru Olayiwola, Assistant Treasurer, Asaolu Oladiran, Assistant Financial Secretary, Olanibi Segun, Treasurer, Felicia Omolaoye, women leader and Funmi Adegbile.
Others party chieftains present are Niran Fajuke, Babatunde Ayeni, Sayo Abimbola, Afusat Alesinloye and Adeyinka Salawu.
The acting Chairman of APC, Adesiji therefore appeal to the national chairman of the party and other stakeholders of the national working committee to as a matter of urgency to do the needful by conducting fresh governorship primary in line with delegate system as done in others before Osun as well as during the presidential primaries in 2014 to pick president Muhammadu Buhari.
He maintained that the direct primary is a step taken contrary to the expected democratic norms and which may eventually spell doom for the party.
According to him, “we wish to bring to your notice that before the direct primary, all state apparatus were made available to the ‘anointed’ candidate, therefore depriving others of a level playing field.
“In view of all the reasons stated earlier and for record purposes, we all hereby counsel against the adoption of the direct primary being used for July 20th 2018 primary election while we dissociate ourselves from whatever the outcome of governorship primary.
“To us, the governorship primary in Osun APC is hereby rejected by us and therefore null and void, the SWC declared.
