By NAN
APC governors held a closed-door meeting on Sunday night in Abuja.
Those who attended the meeting under the aegis of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) were the host governor and chairman of the group, Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, his counterparts from Kwara, Imo, Borno, Ebonyi, Lagos and Zamfara.
Other governors in attendance were from Niger, Ogun, Cross River, Kogi, Nasarawa, Katsina, Plateau, Ekiti, Jigawa and Kano.
At 10:00 p.m., their counterparts from Osun, Yobe, Gombe and Kaduna were expected.
The meeting was called to discuss the party’s national convention, zoning arrangement, direct primary and other issues.
The PGF, at its meeting of November 9, had said adopting direct primaries by political parties would overstretch the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The National Assembly adopted Section 87 of the amended electoral bill currently awaiting the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The section stipulates mandatory direct primaries for all political parties.
However, at PGF last meeting, Mr Bagudu stated that INEC’s decision to make it mandatory for political parties to elect their candidates for elective positions through direct primaries was undemocratic.
According to him, it will limit parties’ ability to choose their desired options.
Direct primaries involve the participation of all party members in the selection of candidates.
In contrast, indirect primaries involve delegates who are mostly leaders and executives at the ward, local government and state levels to elect the party’s candidates at congress or convention.
(NAN)
