Ogun State chapter of All Progressives Congress, Thursday, unanimously agreed to adopt indirect primaries for nomination of candidates for the 2019 general elections should the consensus earlier adopted fails.
At an expanded stakeholders meeting held at the MITROS hall, Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, all members present unanimously agreed to the proposal as presented by the State Executive Council.
The Chairman of APC in the state, Derin Adebiyi who chaired the meeting explained that there was a need to review the earlier position of the party at a meeting held on 5th September, 2018 where direct primary was adopted, should the consensus fail.
The Chairman read a letter signed by the National Secretary of the party which was and dated, 30th August, 2018 where the SEC is empowered to determine the mode of primaries base on the need and peculiarities of each state.
Adebiyi who explained that the meeting was conveyed on the strength of the letter explained that copious and stringent preconditions for direct primaries made it impossible for the state to adopt the option.
The preconditions, he explained, included updated membership register, reliable means of identification of genuine party members and extensive arrangements for crowd control, public order and safety.
He added that five days to the beginning of the primaries, the national leadership of the party is yet to made the materials available.
He said, "We are at the NEC meeting where the issue of direct primary was raised, we all queried the rational of direct primary and that we need an updated register and genuine membership cards before embarking on direct primary, but the requirements are not available, they are not ready and we need to review our position.
"We shall comply with the constitution, we can't stop anybody from going into primaries, it is their right and we can't stop them."
Members who contributed to the debate all agreed to the undesirability of the direct primaries in the state.
A two time member of House of Representatives during the second republic, Oladele Ogunsiji called for party disciple and supremacy of the party.
He however moved the motion for indirect primary and was seconded by Chairman of Ijebu North East local government, Adebayo Adekoya.
The Chairman however called for proper motion and was later moved by the Chairman of the party in Sagamu local government, Segun Solaarin.
The motion was seconded by a Senatorial aspirant in Ogun West and former deputy speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Olusegun Gbeleyi.
109 members out of 111 present voted in support of the motion and there was no counter motion even when that was called by the Chairman.
The Governor of the State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun was said to be unavoidably absent at the meeting, so also the former governor Olusegun Osoba and others who are believed to be in the camp of the former governor..
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