“Ninety percent of APC members are angry and opposed to the manner the primaries were conducted resulting into the selection and imposition of candidates.”
Billy Graham Abel, Yola
The former senator representing Adamawa Central and current vice chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Abubakar Girei, has slammed the Adams Oshiomhole National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its shoddy handling of the party’s primaries, describing it as an exercise in selection and imposition of candidates.
Girei said Oshiomhole’s claims that 90 percent of party members were pleased with the conduct of the nationwide primary elections were an exercise in self-deception that would cost the party massive goodwill if not addressed.
He noted that contrary to Oshiomhole’s impression that party faithfuls are pleased with him, more than ninety percent of party members are not happy with the conduct of the primaries and that it is important that he and the current leadership of the party acknowledge that and address the problems arising from it.
“I am shocked to hear our dear National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole say that ninety percent of APC members are happy and in support of him on the just concluded primary elections that took place nationwide.
“Because of the urgent need to correct the erroneous impression created by the national chairman, I am constrained to say that the reverse is the case.
“That is, ninety percent of APC members nationwide are very angry and totally opposed to the poor way and manner the primaries were conducted resulting into the selection and imposition of candidates.”
Girei stressed that, “Adamawa State in particular, there was not even a semblance of primary election for the governorship in 95% of the wards.
“Primaries for the legislative seats were similarly poorly handled and discredited.
“Unless the national chairman understands and accepts this as a fact and puts in place a strategic plan to remedy the situation our party and candidates will pay dearly for it in the forthcoming general elections.
“Adams Oshiomhole and other leaders of our party are advised not to sweep serious issues raised on this primaries by stakeholders under the carpet as they did with the outcome of the congresses,” he said.