Date: 2018-09-27

Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kwara, have called on national leadership of the party to heed the wishes of the members and adopt direct primary for the selection of the governorship candidate.

The elders made their position known on Wednesday at a news conference held in Ilorin.

Alhaji Lasisi Jimoh (aka LAK), who read the statement on behalf of others declared that direct primary would enhance the chances of APC in winning elections in the state.

"We are opposed to anything that will impede our chances of winning elections in 2019, one of the thing that can affect our chances is indirect primary.

"Let all the aspirants go to the field and test their popularity among members of the party," Jimoh added.

He, therefore, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole not to succumb to any obnoxious pressure to sabotage the chances of the party.

"Today in Kwara, APC is the party to beat; it has become the choice of the people in the state.

"We want Kwara to be liberated from the forces of suppression, oppression and slavery; we no longer want imposition of candidates.

"The world should know that Kwara APC does not want anything short of direct primary to elect its flag bearer," Jimoh said.

According to LAK Jimoh, adopting indirect primary would amount to swapping a despot for another tyrant, which was inimical to the success of the party during elections.

Jimoh added that leaders and stakeholders of APC were in Abuja to meet the national leaders of the party where they made their preference of direct primary known to them.

"It is of relevance to know that at no time was any dissenting voice(s) raised against adopting direct primary model.

"It was therefore a rude shock to all loyal and dedicated members of the party when the media were filled with the news that Kwara state was one of the states that opted for indirect primary.

"We wish to reiterate unequivocally, that any option contrary to direct primary model will negate the popular position of the interest of the party members," he added.

According to Jimoh, this may serve as a banana peel to the attainment of the long awaited self-determination of the people of Kwara.

"It will smack a dangerous trend capable of scuttling the hard work and conviction of the good people of Kwara for successful outings in 2019.

"Therefore, decision to thrust on Kwarans the unpopular indirect Primary Model is unacceptable, a rape on our collective sense of humanity as a people and a contradiction to the principle of fairness and justice.

"The loud voice for the people of Kwara is "restore our wish for Direct Primary, stem impunity, stop the drift to intra-party anarchy and bring back our pride and our right," Jimoh added.

State Publicity Secretary of the Party, Alhaji Folaranmi Aro told Journalists that the executive members have not jettisoned direct primary in selecting the flag bearer of the party on Saturday.

He said the executive and elders of the party met with the aspirants on the modality to be used, adding that all the aspirants rejected consensus method.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that angry party members trooped to the party secretariat carrying placards denouncing adoption of indirect primary.

The inscriptions on the placards read; "Kwara APC support direct primary", "No more imposition of candidate in Kwara" and "Freedom for Kwara; say no to indirect primary".

Others were "All we want is direct primary", "No to indirect primary in Kwara", "All aspirants support direct primary" and "direct primary is our choice".NAN