kassim AFEGBUA 
The long awaited All Progressives’ Congress, (APC) primary election has come and gone, and as reported in the news, it was largely peaceful; we thank God Almighty. The winner, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa smiled home in excitement, pomp and ceremony. It was a well deserved victory. Let me say congratulations to the other aspirants also, for being given the honour by the party to run. The party exhibited her trust in their capacity, competence and character. I applaud them all. The Governors of Imo and Cross River States, His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodinma and His Excellency, Governor Bassey Otu were very much on ground to oversee the exercise, and it went on quite smoothly. We thank them for their dexterity that has kept the peace in the state as we have it today.
The primary election unveiled the character of some officers of the party in Edo State, albeit. Just assess this scenario: the state acting chairman, constituted himself into another screening panel, and told the world that only two aspirants qualified to contest the election. Imagine such a laughable declaration, after the headquarters of the party had earlier cleared twelve aspirants and certificate of clearance duly issued to them. This kind of behavior should be taken seriously, and totally condemned. These are the reasons why people say blackmail, dubiety, manipulation, betrayal, back-stabbing and outright lies are the major ingredients of our Nigerianised democracy. During election season, one sees men behaving like children; though devoid of the underlying innocence of kids. When a state chairman looks you in the face, and tells you pointedly that only two persons have qualified even when superior authority had cleared the aspirants, then you know the complexities, dubiety and dishonesty that lie ahead.
There seem to be actors who profit from crises and such hypocritical emanations, in politics. And others who feed on being machinery and political traders. And yet others, who work from answer to question, just to please the bulbous ego of their paymasters. May God help us. The Edo primary wore a garment of many colours and character indices; but Governors Hope Uzodinma and Bassey Otu, I must say, saved the day. There was a plot to decimate Senator Adams Oshiomhole; some of those people who plotted his removal from office back in 2021 as National Chairman were still miffed at him for surviving their dubious plot.
The man has since bounced back and is a serving Senator. I dare say God rewarded and honoured him. At the headquarters of the party, very many scripts were written, and many whispers conspired to execute dark plots. Thank God that the National Chairman and the Secretary of the party stood their grounds to ensure that the right thing was done; thank you, sirs. Party primaries are the pre-occupation of the party and that is why so many interests are often on parade, each one properly oiled by the merchants. The declaration by Hope Uzodinma and Bassey Otu carries a heavier weight because they cannot be accused of being settled with financial gratification. As governors, they both understand the negative implications and augury of conducting a wrongheaded primary. They promptly rose to the occasion, and gave their best to save such ugliness that some persons tried to foist on the process. I have listened to a number of commentaries many of which reek of ignorance about the conduct of primary elections. The role of the state chapter of any party in primaries, is just to be a good host to the National Headquarters officials who come in, to conduct the election in the state.
That’s all. That is why a Secretariat is often set up by the Chairman and Secretary of the committee for that purpose. At times, a secretariat head is appointed to manage the temporary secretariat of the process. No individual or state party officer or official can vitiate and or invalidate the clearance given to the aspirants. They are validly cleared and that is why certificate of clearance issued to them. Any such action by an individual or state party officer or official will amount to public odium. Several lawyers and analysts are interpreting the statutes on the role of returning officers and announcements of the outcome of the primary. Many of them are disturbingly outlandish. For those who are still unclear about this issue, first, the chairman and secretary are the two most important persons in the committee; they lead other committee members at the temporary secretariat for the primaries. Everyone in the secretariat and committee works under the Chairman and Secretary. In this case, Governors Hope Uzodinma and Bassey Otu were chairman and secretary respectively. The initial collation centre having been attacked had to be relocated from Lushville Hotel to Protea Hotel, vide the letter written to INEC by the Uzondinma-led Committee, informing the electoral body of the relocation.
The relocation was duly approved by INEC; but those who had sinister motives, moved to the residence of a party chieftain in Ugbor area of Benin. Such movement to an interested party’s home already impaired the credibility of their process. An election that ought to be fair to all parties cannot relocate announcement of results to the residence of a chieftain of the party; no, under no circumstances. The APC Committee for the primary election was headed by Governor Hope Uzodinma. He was in charge and one of his committee’s terms of reference was the announcement of the outcome of the election as clearly stated in a statement by the Party’s publicity secretary. Sensing danger and role conflict, the publicity secretary of the party, acting for and on behalf of the party, issued a disclaimer on unauthorised release of results, and pronounced unequivocally that ONLY Hope Uzodinma’s Committee had the powers and authority to declare the outcome of the election. That automatically cast aspersions on the so-called announcement of result from the residence of a party chieftain. That express declaration confirmed who should announce the results; hence the talk of a returning officer does not hold water.
The APC is not an electoral body to appoint returning officers for the conduct of elections. A primary election of a party is its internal working and can give terms of reference to suit its purpose irrespective of what the nomenclature is. At any rate, all committee members appointed for the purpose of the primary MUST work under Governor Hope Uzodinma’s Committee which was the nucleus of the entire exercise. The so-called returning officer cannot work in isolation. He does not have power to relocate a collation centre to a graveyard, prison yard or even the residence of a party chieftain. The aftermath effect of trying to discredit the process by making unauthorised declaration is zero, it means zilch. It does not at all invalidate what the Hope Uzodinma’s Committee did, and should indeed attract condemnations. Looking forward, The APC candidate for the 2024 election is Hon. Dennis Idahosa. His certificate of return would be issued to him in due course. I know some lawyers are expecting to feast on the ensuing litigations. I wish them and their principals well, but hope that they be wise.
