2019: Adamawa APC opposes national body, adopts indirect primaries

The Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Monday adopted Indirect Primaries for the election of its candidates for the 2019 General Elections.
This runs contrary to the position of the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee of the party, which last week settled for direct primaries for the emergence of candidates towards the 2019 general election.
A communiqué issued at the end of the State Executive Committee meeting of the party in Yola said indirect primary was the best option for the state.
It said that the SEC consulted widely and resolved to adopt the indirect primaries for the Governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly Primaries for the elections.
The motion for the adoption of the party decision at the meeting was moved by Ahmed Gulak and seconded by former Adamawa State House of Assembly Speaker and Acting Governor, James Barka.
Addressing the SEC members, the state Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bilal, represented by his deputy, Samaila Tadawus, said the decision to choose the option was in line with Article 12.8 of the party constitution.
Bilal said it was also in compliance with the directive of the National Executive Committee of the party to all states to decide on the mode of conducting their primaries.
In his remarks, Governor Muhammadu Bindow, represented by the Deputy Governor, Martins Babale, said he was also in support of indirect primaries and urged party members to join hands and ensure free and fair primaries.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the most important thing was that whatever decision taken should be in line with the party constitution which provided for direct, indirect or consensus.
Mustapha who called for free and fair contest, urged members of the party to always show maturity in their conduct as members of the ruling party.
He said: “We should always conduct ourselves in the most decent manners.”
Senator Binta Masi and Hon. Ibrahim Dasin who spoke on behalf of members of the National Assembly from the state also endorsed the indirect primaries and cited some challenges including insecurity in some areas of the state.
Similarly, the Adamawa State House of Assembly Speaker, Alhaji Kabiru Mijinyawa; Deputy Speaker, Emmanuel Tsamdu; and the House Majority Leader, Hassan Barguma, who spoke on behalf of APC members in the assembly, also endorsed indirect primaries.
Mijinyawa said: “Another reason why we don’t support direct primaries is that the state has no authentic party member register, while we learnt that there are about two million fake party membership cards in circulation.”