The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said the final decision on the date for the party’s primaries will be reached at its NEC meeting on Thursday.
The Chairman made this known Tuesday night while addressing journalists at the end of the APC caucus meeting with President, Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
There have been a lot of controversies surrounding the APC’s schedule for its primaries following several reports of varying dates which the party has denied, noting that it is yet to officially announce the various dates for its primaries.
The chairman promised that the party will follow electoral guidelines, the principles of internal democracy, and be fair and just to all in the forthcoming primaries in the party primaries.
According to the timetable issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), party primaries for the presidential, governorship, federal and state elections begins on August 18 to end on October 7.
“The meeting just had a conversation around the forthcoming primaries. As you know, based on INEC timetable on primaries, this is the season from the President down to House of Assembly and the exercise must end on Oct. 7 according to INEC guidelines.
“We are obliged to comply with the guidelines because the guidelines are derived from the provisions of the Electoral Act.
“So, we basically discussed how to ensure full compliance with the INEC guidelines and also ensure that we observe all the principles of internal democracy, participation, ensuring fairness and justice. I think those are issues basically,” he said.
He also said the resolutions at the caucus meeting would be tabled at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting fixed for Thursday for deliberation and possible endorsement.
“By Thursday we will go to NEC where the formal decisions will be rectified and once they are rectified there will be no problem. They are not being kept because every member of the party and indeed Nigerian are entitled to know how we agreed about the exercise.
“But I think everybody has confidence that we will do a very credible primaries to ensure that those who fly the flag of the party have the mandate of their various constituencies.”
