Edo Guber: Edo APC, Obaseki Camp Ought For Indirect Primary, Cite COVID-19 As Reasons

The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the camp of incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki, have adopted the indirect mode of primaries in the forth coming Gubernatorial election in Edo State.

BIGPEN reports that this is coming as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had in the early hours of Friday said it has adopted direct primary option, where all registered party members will elect the party’s governorship flagbearer.

Announcing this via its twitter handle, APC also said it has granted waiver to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to contest the party’s Edo State Governorship Primary on June 22nd.

However, arising from a stakeholders meeting held at the party secretarial in Benin on Friday, the Edo APC Chairman, Anselm Ojesua, who is in same camp with Governor Obaseki, said that direct primary model won’t work going by the deadly Coronavirus pandemic in the state.

He said that the party under his leadership cannot afford to have 300,000 individuals risking their lives in this period for the sake of conducting primarie, saying “it is unethical” to so do.

Ojesua, also hinged the decision to adopt indirect primary on the inability of the state party to produce a credible register of members, adding “hence making the direct primaries method unworkable”.

According to the state chairman of the party Edo State indirect primaries will host about 3,500 statutory delegates next month and would hold at the newly rebuilt Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.