Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi state, have rejected the purported endorsement of indirect primaries by the party ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Spokesperson of the forum of aspirants under the platform of the APC Ben Adaji who stated the position of the forum at a Press briefing in Jalingo, said that the purported endorsement of indirect primaries was a decision of the governor and his hand picked appointees and does not reflect the collective position of the people.
Adaji said that the people of Kogi state were in dire need of a credible leader who would work to restore the glory of the state and would not take any kind of imposition of candidate in the people.
He insisted that any attempt to impose the current Governor Yahaya Bello would be suicidal for the party and may result in the replication of the Zamfara experience for the party.
“We the forum of aspirants under the platform of the APC in Kogi state want to state clearly that the purported endorsement of indirect primaries in the state is the decision of the state Gov Yahaya Bello and his hand picked appointees who are under oath to make sure that he gets the ticket of the party.
“As critical stakeholders who worked tirelessly for the success of the party in the state, we reject this in it’s totality. Kogi state is bleeding and the people deserve a chance to chose a leader of their choice. any form of imposition of candidate for the people could have grave consequences for the party in the state.
“We therefore call on the party national secretariat to make sure that the needful is done and the people are allowed to chose their leaders. This is a governor that has failed the people and the party. The people of Kogi will reject him and any other candidate would win him. For our great party to retain power, it is imperative that the people are allowed to chose a candidate they want through a direct primaries” Adaji said.
He lamented that while other governor’s are working hard to close ranks with aggrieved members of their parties, the governor of Kogi was more concerned with getting the ticket for governorship and has continued to “create more cracks in the party in a bid to sideline his imagined enemies.”
