Oyo APC Governorship Hopeful Endorses Direct Voting System

Fatai Buhari, a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, expressed his willingness to participate in the party's primary election, anticipating a peaceful, free, fair, and credible atmosphere, on Monday.

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As the senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Buhari made this declaration during a meeting with the APC executive, led by state Chairman Moses Adeyemo, at the party secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, the state capital.

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Buhari emphasized that the APC leadership is renowned for its commitment to principles, competence, and credibility, which are essential for guaranteeing free and fair primaries in the state, and any aspirant who is afraid of participating in the primaries lacks the competence to be the party's flag bearer.

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Adeyemo, a former deputy governor of the state, announced on Monday that the party is set to conduct free, fair, and credible direct primaries for its aspirants, while receiving members of the Screening and Appeal Committee from the APC national secretariat in Abuja.

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Adeyemo assured all aspirants that they would be treated fairly, in line with the principles of progressivism and constitutional democracy, and that the party has already initiated efforts to achieve consensus across the board, but may adopt direct primaries in certain cases, including the governorship ticket.

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The party chairman stated that they would work towards organizing free, fair, and credible exercises in all affected areas, while also considering the possibility of some aspirants rethinking their positions and supporting the consensus arrangement.

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Buhari, who considers himself one of the top three aspirants among the 10 screened by the committee for the governorship race, claimed to possess all the necessary qualities to govern the state and serve the people as a worthy ambassador of the APC.

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He also pledged to provide solar-powered lights and computer systems for the smooth operation of the party secretariat, and donated N5m to the state chapter of the party and another N2m to members of the party executive.

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Adeyemo expressed gratitude to Buhari for the developmental projects he had facilitated in Oyo North Senatorial District, particularly in the Oke-Ogun area, and appreciated the aspirant's support for the party, praying that his efforts would not be in vain.

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The meeting was attended by Buhari's supporters and loyalists from the 33 local government areas of the state, in a show of solidarity for his governorship aspiration.

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A former Minister of Power and APC governorship aspirant, Bayo Adelabu, had also insisted that there was no consensus candidate, and urged other aspirants to present themselves for primaries, following a meeting of some APC stakeholders where Sharafadeen Alli was declared the consensus candidate.

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Other aspirants, including Buhari, former deputy governor Rauf Olaniyan, and Akeem Agbaje, also called for direct primaries, in a bid to ensure a fair and credible selection process for the party's governorship candidate.