All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Umar Ganduje, has begged the party’s aspirants in the November 8 governorship election in Anambra State not to destroy the party with money.
Ganduje urged the aspirants to instead use their resources to build the state chapter of the governing party.
He made the appeal when he hosted a support group of the party known as Booth 2 Booth with Bola Tinubu, at the party’s national secretariat Tuesday in Abuja.
Dr. Ganduje who called for unity in the state APC aimed at producing a consensus candidate said the party’s leadership will ensure a free, fair and credible primary election in Anambra.
He added that the National Working Committee in conjunction with the leadership of the party in the state will sit down and agree on which method of primary will be adopted.
The National Chairman explained that Anambra should assist in providing a conducive atmosphere, stressing, “as a party, if we are to have good primary in the state, all our stakeholders supposed to be born again.
“All the educated and rich, we have told them that this time around, business should not be as usual. Let us support the system. We know they are very rich, they have a lot of money, but they should not use the money to scatter the state. They should use the money to develop the state and the APC.
“In fact, I will be highly interested if they can produce a candidate through consensus, I will give them an award.
“You mention the option of direct or indirect primary. As an institution, I assure you, we will sit down, the National Working Committee in conjunction with the leadership of the party in the state and agree on whichever method for the primary.”
Speaking earlier, National Coordinator of the Booth 2 Booth with Bola Tinubu, Iyke Madu, told the APC NWC that if credible primary election is conducted, and it is clear to everybody that the winner emerges through a credible process, they will all work together and ensure victory for the APC.
Madu said: “We are here to also make a request to see to it that a credible, fee, free, transparent primary is conducted in Anambra State, and this is to avoid the pitfalls of 2021 where primaries were supposed to have been conducted and election results announced in the hotel rooms in which a candidate, who got 300,000 votes in the primaries could not even get up to 50,000 votes during the contest against other parties.
“There is issue of insecurity in Anambra we speak, even the state government could not conduct their own local government elections due to insecurity.
“So we are here requesting for the party to adopt an indirect primary method. Our constitution provides for that.”
