Agitation for direct primaries to elect candidates for the 2027 elections continues to grow, and there are indications that the major parties have no choice but to bow to pressure from party members.
Moves by some governors and their supporters to pick candidates by consensus are already creating bad blood and tension in the affected parties.
Of note are Nasarawa State where ex-Police Inspector General Mohammed Adamu has vehemently rejected the decision of Governor Abdullahi Sule to pick Senator Ahmed Wadada as his preferred successor, Ogun State where former Governor Gbenga Daniel was locked out of a meeting to pick the APC candidate for Ogun East Senatorial District, Bauchi State where the party is now set to adopt direct primaries and Edo State where the contest for federal and state legislative seats is threatening to tear the party apart.
A decision in favour of direct primaries was agreed upon during an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Bauchi, where party leaders deliberated on how to avoid a repeat of the internal crises that affected the party during previous election cycles.
A party source who attended the meeting told our correspondent that stakeholders resolved to abandon the consensus arrangement and instead allow party members to determine candidates through direct voting.
According to the source, the decision was informed by the belief that direct primaries would guarantee transparency, fairness and wider participation by registered party members across the state.
The feeling among stakeholders is that direct primaries will give every aspirant equal opportunity and make the process more credible because the outcome will be visible to everyone,” the source said.
He added that the arrangement would help strengthen internal democracy within the party and ensure that candidates with genuine grassroots support emerge for the elections.
The source further noted that party leaders were optimistic the adoption of direct primaries would minimise disagreements, reduce post-primary disputes and position the APC strongly ahead of the 2027 polls.
Present at the meeting were federal legislators, former governors, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, state executive members of the APC, local government party chairmen and other stakeholders.
Supporters of ex-IGP Adamu are resisting what they see as an attempt by Governor Sule to deny their man his right to test his popularity in direct primaries.
They have, on several occasions, staged protests in the state capital Lafia to drive home their point for a level playing ground for all aspirants.
