Oyo APC’ll conduct direct primary for gov aspirants — Chairman

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The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State and former Deputy Governor of the state, Moses Adeyemo, on Monday, announced that the party is set to conduct a free, fair, and credible direct primary for its aspirants to emerge among a population of aspirants.

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Adeyemo announced this while receiving the Screening and Appeal Committee members deployed to the state from the APC’s Abuja National Secretariat in his office at the Oke-Ado party Secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital.

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He assured that no stone would be left unturned to ensure that all aspirants were treated fairly in accordance with principles of progressivism and constitutional democracy.

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The PUNCH reports that tension continues to rise nationwide over the gatekeeping of aspirants jostling for party tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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Adeyemo said, “We have already set machinery in motion for us to achieve the aim of consensus across board, but reports available to me indicate that we would have to go by the second option, which is direct primary in certain cases, including the governorship ticket.

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“To this end, we shall work towards organising free, fair, and credible exercises in all the affected areas, even as we cannot rule out the possibility of some aspirants having a rethink and supporting the consensus arrangement as necessary.

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“Where we have more than an aspirant, Abuja would send people to conduct primaries, and we (at the state level) would provide the required support to make every work out in the interest of our great party (APC).

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“Either consensus or direct primaries, every registered party member will be involved as they will all gather at their respective ward on the date picked by the National Secretariat for the primary, as it affects each elective position. For consensus, members will lend their voices for affirmation, while voting will be done in the cases of a direct primary,” Adeyemo insisted.

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In his address, the Chairman of the Screening Committee, who was the former Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Taofiq AbdusSalam, said, “My committee would do a thorough job to ensure that only the eligible aspirants were cleared to participate in the primary and fly the ticket of the APC as the party’s House of Assembly candidates in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.”

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Other members of the Screening Committee are Kamal Sanusi (Secretary), Smart Oluwole, Tunde Kolade, and Olabamiji Agunloye, while those of the Screening Appeal Committee are Jibola Oduwole (Chairman), Abimbola Jack (Secretary), and Jelil Jimoh.

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