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No fewer than 20 governorship aspirants of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi State, yesterday, rejected the decision of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party to use indirect method for its governorship primary election ahead of the November gubernatorial polls.
        Among the signatories was Alhaji Yusuf Haruna, a former Aide dè Camp, ADC, to National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, when he was Edo State governor. The aspirants, who were at the national secretariat of the party to submit a petition to that effect, said they were not consulted before the decision was taken. Those who signed the petition were Aliyu Zakari-Jiya, Dr. Tim Diche, Alhaji Yusuf Haruna. Admiral Usman Jibrin (retd), Alhaji Mohammed Audu, Alhaji Mohammed Ali, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi, Alhaji Jibrin Haruna Mohammed, AIhaji Yakubu Mohammed, Sheik Ibrahim Jibril, Chief Momoh Obaro, Prince Sani Shuaibu, Gowon Egbunu, Prince Sanni Shuaibu, Prince Mustapha Mona Audu, Alhaji Ahmed Aruwa, Akpa Patrick, Sunday Edibo, Khalid Adams and Yusuf Ali.
        The APC NWC had recently announced that indirect primary would be used to select its governorship candidate in Kogi State, attracting commendation from the state chapter of the party and other forces believed to be sympathetic to Governor Yahaya Bello. Recall that some stakeholders of the party in the state and the state party executives had earlier passed a resolution and forwarded same to NWC asking it to approve indirect primary method for the forthcoming primaries in the state. However, spokesman of the aspirants and one of the governorship aspirants, who read the letter, Ali, warned that the planned adoption of the indirect party primary “is inherent with serious negative consequences for the fortunes of the party in Kogi State.” He said: “We regret to observe that such decision was taken without adequate consultations with critical stakeholders of the party in the state, especially the governorship aspirants on the platform of the party and other contending groups in the polarised structure of the party in the state.”