Edo 2020: INEC Confirms Direct Primary For APC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that direct primary will be used to select the candidate for the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to contest the September governorship election.

This was confirmed in a statement issued by INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, after a virtual meeting held on Tuesday, to consider the issues of the conduct of political party primaries, ahead of the governoship election in September.

According to the statement, the APC leadership had indicated that direct primary will hold on June 22.

INEC also noted that the Peoples Democratic Party opted for indirect primary, which will be from June 19 to June 20. 

It stated that only 15 of the 18 political parties participating in the September 19 election have indicated interest in conducting primaries.

The electoral umpire further urged the parties to conduct the primaries in line with provisions of the 1999 constitution and its policy on conducting elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

INEC’s position is however not in tune with the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki who had insisted on indirect primary, and recently declared that direct mode breaches COVID-19 rules.

Obaseki, through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, on Saturday, said “the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has said in its briefings that states should manage the pandemic through measures unique to their states”.

“On the basis of that, we have deployed this measure in Edo State, the rule has been gazetted and so direct primaries cannot hold here as far as that regulation is concerned. So, it has to be indirect, in order to be working in line with the extant rule in the state,” he said.

“The only mode of primary that is permissible according to that law is indirect primaries, and we believe it is correct to do so because for that option, it is just one location and you can deploy all agencies of government responsible for ensuring compliance with the protocols,” he added.

Meanwhile the federal high court in Edo fixed Thursday June 11 to hear a suit seeking to stop the direct primary election planned in Edo.