The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, yesterday met with eight governors of the party over the impending governorship primaries for Edo and Ondo States, promising to prevail on the party’s national leadership to ensure a fair process.
The governors, who represented their colleagues on the party’s platform were the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Senator Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Alhaji Sani Bello (Niger), Muhammad Abubakar (Jigawa), Mr.
Solomon Lalong (Plateau), Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun), Mr. Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and their host, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Sources close to the meeting held at the Old Lagos Government House, Marina, Lagos said the governors discussed the primaries for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States and proposed to grant the incumbents, Obaseki and Akeredolu, the right of first refusal.
But Tinubu was said to have responded that ordinarily, he would not have been opposed to that. However, he reportedly pointed out to them that once other party members indicate interest, the democratic thing to do in the circumstances would be to allow the primaries to hold.
He reportedly told them it would be difficult to hold down the ambition of other party faithful, advising them to come to terms with the possibility of intra-party contests in the two states.
The sources close to the meeting said there were discussions around the mode of primaries with the governors favouring the indirect process. But the national leader was said to have told them to recognise the constitutional right of the National Working Committee (NWC) to organise the primaries, stating firmly that he personally had always preferred the direct mode of selecting the party’s candidates.
Citing the presidential primaries that produced President Muhammadu Buhari as well as Oyetola in Osun and Sanwo-Olu in Lagos, Tinubu reportedly said the direct primaries give the candidates and the party the opportunity to test their electoral machinery and popularity, saying once a candidate emerges through that process, the general election becomes much easier.
He, however, assured them that whichever one the national secretariat of the party approves, he would prevail on the leadership to ensure that the process is free and fair to all the aspirants.
It was gathered that the governors may meet with President Buhari today or later in the week at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to discuss the Edo and Ondo elections.
Both Obaseki and Akeredolu are having strong opposition in their respective states and preferred the indirect primaries mode because of the distinctive advantage, it has for the incumbent. But their opponents preferred the direct primaries, a preference that also has the approval of the Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC, at least for the Edo contest.
– THISDAY NEWSPAPER