The All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun its primary election to select a candidate for the upcoming Bayelsa State governorship election scheduled for November 11.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the party’s chairman of the Primary Election Committee, Maj. Gen. A. T. Jibrin, spoke to the press at the state party secretariat in Yenagoa after a meeting with party stalwarts and aspirants.
Jibrin stated that the party will use the option A4 for the direct primary, which is expected to take place in all 105 wards of the state. He also assured party members that everything is in place for a smooth exercise and promised a free, transparent, and peaceful primary election.
Accompanying Jibrin were the Chairman of the Primary Election Appeal Committee, DIG Habila Joshua, and other committee members.
The committee cleared six aspirants for the primary election, including former Minister of State, Petroleum, and former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, and the 2019 governor-elect, Chief David Pereworimini Lyon. The other aspirants are Festus Daumiebi Sunday, Prof Ongoebi Etebu Maureen, Ogomade Isikima Johnson, and Joshua Maciver.
He said: “The committee has had series of engagements with the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Bayelsa Police Command, Department of State Security Service, DSS and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to seek advice on how to go about the exercise peacefully according to the regulations.
“We cannot give the total figures of party members because in some of the wards, you have up to 100 people, in some it’s less. So it is difficult because there are 105 wards, it’s difficult to have it off the top of my head. But just know that we have a register for all those that will participate. We will accredit everybody before they cast their votes.
“We assure of the compilation of the voters register based on our party register in each and every ward in the eight local government areas and nobody will be allowed to join the queue of voting until they are accredited.”
