APC, PDP pick governorship candidates tomorrow

Members of the  All Progressives Congress (APC)  and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will, tomorrow, pick the governorship candidates of the two parties  for next year’s elections.

The primaries will be held in all but six of the 36 states.

Excluded are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Kogi, Ondo and Osun states because governorship elections in those states will be held in later years.

The acting National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Yekini Nabena, said direct primaries will be used in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kano, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Taraba and Zamfara.

Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and Yobe are to use indirect primaries.

The two parties have had to adjust their timetables for the primaries several times in the last one month to accommodate inputs of various vested interest groups and to ensure rancour-free voting.

Ahead of its primaries,the APC in Lagos State yesterday commenced the distribution of identification cards to its  members.

The state chairman of the party, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, led other executive members to distribute the cards at the ACME Road secretariat of the party in Ikeja.

The cards were distributed to members through selected party leaders across the different councils in the state.

Addressing the selected party leaders, Balogun said the move  was to enable members participate in the governorship and subsequent primaries.

He said no fewer than 1.7 million cards were issued based on the data of members.

He appealed  to the representatives to ensure the cards were delivered to registered members in their respective areas immediately, saying: ”We have carefully selected you because of your good records in your areas and because we believe you can deliver in getting these cards across to our members .

“I implore you to do your best in delivering on this assignment so that our members can get their cards before the governorship primary on Sunday.”

Balogun directed them to distribute the cards to identified party members immediately in the presence of their council chairmen and council party chairmen in their respective areas.

He said the distribution must also be done in the presence of the state executive members representing each of the 20 constitutionally-recognised councils.

The chairman said that the party arrived at the arrangement to ensure that cards do not fall into the wrong hands.

Balogun warned that for no reason should the cards be given to the wrong people and urged the leaders to return unclaimed cards to the secretariat.

He added: ”Please make sure you check the photographs on the cards before giving them out.

“We do not want a situation where these cards get to the wrong hands. In case you cannot get the owners of some of the cards, please return them to the secretariat; we will know what to do.

“And for some of you who cannot get all the cards because of bulkiness, please do come tomorrow, as that is the deadline for distribution.”