Govs’ Forum DG Suggests Direct Primaries for APC
Olalekan Adetayo
The Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has advised the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress to adopt direct primaries method for the selection of its candidates at all levels for the 2023 general election.
He said the method would change the pattern of leadership contests and make contests more boisterous.
Lukman made the suggestion in his book, ‘Power of Possibility and Politics of Change in Nigeria,’ presented to the public recently.
The book reads in part, “There is the need for the APC national leadership to conclude the project of putting in place membership databank based on which party leadership at all levels will be elected through direct methods.
“Inability to put in place credible and verifiable membership databank will retain the current configuration, which makes some party leaders more dominant during contest for party leadership.
“The ability of the party to transit from indirect to direct methods of electing party leaders has the potential of changing patterns of leadership contests and with it, also leadership outlook and behaviour.
It adds, “Given such possibility, leadership contests may even be more boisterous, involving lower-level leadership – states, local governments and ward leaders – on the one hand, and contending groups, on the other.
“In the event however that the present format of indirect method continues, contests would be mainly between the governors and groups opposed to governors.
“The APC national leadership would then have to continue to face challenges whereby all elections both for party leadership and primaries are disputed, rightly or wrongly.”
The book urges the APC national leadership should strengthen its capacity to facilitate reconciliation among aggrieved members, stressing that the inability to achieve reconciliation will weaken the party and the national leadership will continue to deal with issues affecting aggrieved party members.
The book reads further, “One of the unfortunately deceptive outlooks of the APC is its blind eye about the existence of power blocs within the party. Arising from such pretences, matters of leadership aspirations and contests, especially for 2023, are subjects of speculation.
“Inability to recognise power blocs would only result in mismanaging processes of leadership emergence as was the case in 2015 in the case of the emergence of the leadership of both the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The APC national leadership should develop informal approaches for engaging all the emerging power blocs within the party.”
The Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has advised the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress to adopt direct primaries method for the selection of its candidates at all levels for the 2023 general election.
He said the method would change the pattern of leadership contests and make contests more boisterous.
Lukman made the suggestion in his book, ‘Power of Possibility and Politics of Change in Nigeria,’ presented to the public recently.
The book reads in part, “There is the need for the APC national leadership to conclude the project of putting in place membership databank based on which party leadership at all levels will be elected through direct methods.
“Inability to put in place credible and verifiable membership databank will retain the current configuration, which makes some party leaders more dominant during contest for party leadership.
“The ability of the party to transit from indirect to direct methods of electing party leaders has the potential of changing patterns of leadership contests and with it, also leadership outlook and behaviour.
It adds, “Given such possibility, leadership contests may even be more boisterous, involving lower-level leadership – states, local governments and ward leaders – on the one hand, and contending groups, on the other.
“In the event however that the present format of indirect method continues, contests would be mainly between the governors and groups opposed to governors.
“The APC national leadership would then have to continue to face challenges whereby all elections both for party leadership and primaries are disputed, rightly or wrongly.”
The book urges the APC national leadership should strengthen its capacity to facilitate reconciliation among aggrieved members, stressing that the inability to achieve reconciliation will weaken the party and the national leadership will continue to deal with issues affecting aggrieved party members.
The book reads further, “One of the unfortunately deceptive outlooks of the APC is its blind eye about the existence of power blocs within the party. Arising from such pretences, matters of leadership aspirations and contests, especially for 2023, are subjects of speculation.
“Inability to recognise power blocs would only result in mismanaging processes of leadership emergence as was the case in 2015 in the case of the emergence of the leadership of both the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The APC national leadership should develop informal approaches for engaging all the emerging power blocs within the party.”
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