Four governorship aspirants on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State have called on the party’s national leadership to employ direct mode of primaries to choose the gubernatorial flagbearer for the 2023 polls in the state.

The aspirants include Arc. Owodunni Opayemi, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, Mrs Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, and Barr. Biyi Otegbeye.

The four gubernatorial hopefuls are billed to battle the incumbent governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, for the APC ticket in the party’s primary election scheduled to hold in Abeokuta, the state capital next week.

According to a copy of a petition addressed to the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the aspirants accused Governor Abiodun of allegedly compromising the process of indirect primary election.

Abiodun is seeking re-election for a second term in office.

The governorship aspirants, who alleged that the governor had plotted to “sideline perceived non-loyalists,” said their preference for direct primaries was in line with the Section 84 (2) of the Electoral Act 2022.

They also accused the party leadership in the state of hoarding delegate forms and refusing to issue them to a large number of willing party members even after the presentation of evidence of payment from the approved designated banks.

They, however, appealed to Adamu to appoint an independent and impartial arbiter to superintend the direct primary election in Ogun State in the interest of transparency and fairness.

The petition which was signed by the four governorship aspirants and 34 others party read: “Mr Chairman Sir, we humbly refer to Section 84 (2) of the Electoral Act 2022 which makes provision for three possible modes of primaries – Direct, Indirect and Consensus in nominating flag bearers of our party for the 2023 elections.

“Indirect primary election require the process of obtaining delegate forms and screening for the various delegate positions.

“It is however unfortunate that the party leadership in Ogun State has refused to issue delegate forms to a large number of our party members to date even after the presentation of evidence of payment from the approved designated banks.

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“Kindly find some copies of the bank tellers attached as proof of payment. It is obvious that there can be no justification for this denial other than to sideline perceived non-loyalists of the power that be. This, Sir, is unconstitutional, unfair and undemocratic.

“In view of the foregoing, the fractured nature of the party in Ogun State, and because the disputed outcomes of the last Local Government elections conducted in the state; we are of the considered view that there can be no level playing field if the indirect primary mode is used for candidate selection.

“We, therefore, write to state our preference for the Direct Primary Mode in Ogun State for a free and credible primary election.

“The Chairman may wish to note that echoes of the disputed 2018 primaries are still being heard in our state and the division in the Ogun State chapter of the APC is yet to be healed. Party members across the divide are, therefore, desirous of having their real voices heard in this next election.

“We also wish to appeal to the Chairman to appoint an independent and impartial arbiter to superitend the Direct Primary Elections in Ogun State for transparency and fairness.

“Even as we await the party’s favorable consideration of these requests, we, however, promise to abide by the result of a free, fair and credible primary election in the state,” the governorship hopefuls stated.

The Star