Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Sunday said as the party leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State,
he opposed the adoption of the direct primary method adopted by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) because it might trigger the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
The Edo State chapter of the APC and the national leadership of the party are currently locked in a battle on the mode of primary to be used in choosing the flag bearer of the party.
While Edo APC led by Anselm Ojezua said it was adopting the indirect primary method for the emergence of the party’s flag bearer in the September 19, 2020 governorship election in the state, the NWC said it had adopted the direct primary option.
While the direct primary method involves all card-carrying members of the party, only accredited delegates are allowed to participate in the indirect primary method.
Since the crisis broke out, some Nigerians are wondering why Obaseki is opposed to the direct primary method, saying he shouldn’t be afraid if truly he is as popular as he has claimed.
However, speaking with Daily Independent, Obaseki, who spoke through Crusoe Osagie, his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, said as an extremely popular candidate, he was not afraid of any mode of primary and would defeat any aspirant who slugged it out with him for the APC ticket.
He said as the Chief Security Officer of the state, he was opposed to the idea of direct primary now because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
According to him, gathering together over 500,000 party members in the name of primary may trigger the number of COVID-19 cases already in the state, a situation he said would put more lives at risk.
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