Ruling party claims outcome of internal vote still subject to change

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….Formal declaration of winners awaits conclusion of appeals

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By Omeiza Ajayi

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ABUJA — The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday clarified that results emerging from its primary elections conducted across states of the federation were not yet final.

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The party said formal declaration of winners would only be made after the conclusion of its internal appeal processes.

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The clarification was made in Abuja by the Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy to the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, Mr. Abimbola Tooki.

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According to him, the procedure was deliberately designed to ensure fairness and transparency in the conduct of the primaries.

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Tooki said the guidelines issued for the exercise were clear on the process of collation and declaration of results.

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“The guidelines issued for the conduct of the primaries were very clear and unambiguous. Results from the various levels were to be collated appropriately, while the formal declaration of winners would only come after the appeal processes have been concluded,” he said.

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He explained that the appeal committees, working in collaboration with the National Working Committee, NWC, were expected to review all petitions before final decisions were taken.

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According to him, the arrangement was in line with the party’s commitment to justice, inclusiveness and internal democracy.

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Tooki further stated that aggrieved aspirants retained the constitutional right to seek redress through the party’s appeal mechanism instead of resorting to media attacks against the national leadership.

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“This procedure was deliberately designed to protect fairness, guarantee transparency and give every dissatisfied aspirant the constitutional right to seek redress before the relevant appeal committees,” he added.

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He assured stakeholders that all petitions and complaints arising from the primaries would be treated fairly and strictly on their merit.

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The APC spokesman also warned against what he described as attempts by some individuals to use propaganda to discredit the process and create tension within the party before the conclusion of the appeal exercise.

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He urged party members to disregard what he termed false narratives being circulated in some quarters.

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