Chief Charles Idahosa, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo state, has decried the decision of the state chapter of the party to use consensus arrangement to pick its flagbearers in the 2019 elections against the directive of the national leadership of the party on direct primaries.
He also said the party was on the verge of extinction and all concerned members must rally round to rescue it.
Speaking with Daily Independent newspaper against the background of reports alleging that Governor Godwin Obaseki was working to dismantle the political structures of his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the incumbent National Chairman of the party, Idahosa said: “We want direct primaries here in Edo APC. I have been complaining but nobody is listening. What gives me concern about the whole issue is that this governor, Obaseki, came through delegate primary. I am aware that his hatred for politicians started from that time.
“What we have in Edo APC today is just a silence of the graveyard.
“The delegates were loaded inside first class hotels in the city, they were collecting money N250,000, N300,000. They will jump from one hotel to another to go and collect money from other governorship aspirants. The thing shocked Obaseki and that is when the tension between him and delegates started.
“Now what is surprising to me now is that the APC national body is now saying no need to spend money again. The delegates system corrupts absolutely. It makes a few people to extort money from aspirants but in direct primaries, there is no way you can give money to all party members. Let the party members decide but they are saying no in Edo APC. I don’t understand it anymore. Why the governor is now afraid of direct primaries now, I don’t know.
“If you say because delegates collected money from you and you are now venting your anger on party leaders, leaders didn’t collect money from you. It is your boy that is moving from one hotel to another giving money to delegates,” Idahosa said.
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