Indications have emerged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may opt for a consensus candidate in the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo State scheduled for September 21.
The National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, alluded to the plan during a meeting with Edo State stakeholders which held in Abuja on Monday night, January 15, 2024.
At the event, a former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, said the stakeholders have tried to initiate dialogue with the aspirants.
“On our part, we have tried to initiate dialogue among our aspirants. It is no secret, that at the time we had the dialogue, I think they (aspirants) were 27. I learned it has increased to 29 now. The process is ongoing, and the struggle continues. So we are looking forward to a healthy celebration”, Oshiomhole said.
Ganduje and Oshiomhole expressed optimism that the APC would take over Edo State in the governorship election scheduled for September 21.
According to the schedule of activities for the Edo State governorship election released by the APC, the sale of Nomination and Expression of Interest and Delegates Forms which commenced last week Wednesday would end on January 29.
The APC would pick its candidate for the governorship race at a primary election to be held on 17 February.
Speaking on the number of APC governorship aspirants in Edo State, Ganduje, a former Governor of Kano State said, “The issue is that if we can leave it through agreement, the better for us.”
“Some know that at this material time, maybe because of the location, maybe because of some antecedents, they may not be the best candidate at the moment. That doesn’t mean they will never be good candidates. But through that consensus, we will be able to narrow down.”
He said the APC was determined to take back APC from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Ganduje said, “Edo is an APC State. Now we have to take Edo back. We have only one state from the South-South for the greatest party in Africa, it’s not acceptable. We were able to get only Cross River State after crossing so many rivers. We succeeded in getting Cross River State. But Edo State, we must get it.”
He said it would not be business as usual, adding that the APC is a progressive party with clear-cut objectives.
Ganduje said, “We have to improve our internal democracy – we have to deepen and widen it. We need to understand the party and its manifesto, its rules and regulations. We need to understand its philosophy. We need to move towards having a party ideology so that we will not be an ordinary political association whereby everybody can come in just to win the election. You have to believe in the doctrine of the party – become a full member of the party.
“To widen it, we need to increase our followership. So internal democracy is very very important. We have to be transparent and at the same time, we have to also adopt a guided democracy where we can discuss issues so that we limit if possible the number of contests. Even though it’s not a crime if we have a large number. The party will get more revenue but that’s not the issue.”
Oshiomhole, a former Governor of Edo State and current Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District said that the defeat of APC in the 2020 governorship election was caused by some party members.
He said, “Democracy based on popular participation might be more difficult but cannot be faulted. It allows us to build consensus. It allows us to have conflict and in the end, provided we understand that the majority will have their way while the minority has their say.
“We are particularly determined, as you can see everybody here has a robust past and even present. We are determined to reclaim Edo State. I used the word reclaim because Edo is ours. We lost it due to several factors some of which were caused by some APC elements.
“Nobody needs to lecture Mr. Chairman on this because even as a Governor of Kano State, you offered to lead the last campaign and even relocated. Almost all the Kano State Executive Council relocated to Benin for days just to ensure that the we win the last governorship election. But unfortunately not everybody believes in party participation to the extent that you did.”
Source: Arise News
