A former Minister of State for Health and a governorship aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi state, Dr Ali Pate, has said that his party won’t win the state if unpopular candidate is forced on the people.
Pate believes that direct primary should be used during the primary election so as to test the popularity of all the aspirants.
Speaking with journalists, yesterday in Abuja, after he was screened by the Screening Committee of the party, Pate, who is among the governorship aspirants campaigning for direct primary, said his group had made case known to the national leadership of APC that without direct primary winning Bauchi state might be difficult.
He said: “We have made our case, if the party wants to win Bauchi state it should put forward a credible, popular candidate.
At this point, we know that the people of Bauchi state are worried that an imposition will not bud well in the general elections.
So, we place our faith in the leadership of the party to do the right thing and allow fair process to play out.
Otherwise, we cannot guarantee that APC will win in Bauchi state.” On his experience at the screening, the former minister said: “There is a structured process that we have been made to participate for the various offices we are seeking for on the platform of the party.
I have done mine and for Bauchi state, we have an agenda which is to bring development which has so far eluded our people.
“So even we have an incumbent governor, we know his term comes to an end in 2019 and we are sure to takeover even as we also believe in the party to do the right thing and ensure that members and aspirants get the justice they deserve if the party wants to succeed in Bauchi.” Meanwhile, the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has appealed to the Governor Rochas Okorocha led faction of the party to take 55 per cent of the party structure while the other group led by Senator Hope Uzodinma takes 45 per cent so as to achieve lasting peace in the Imo state chapter of the party.
He also said the party may adopt direct primaries in the state to avoid litigations that may affect the candidates of the party, besides “all of you have agreed you are popular, so we may have to adopt the direct primaries mode so that all the aspirants will go and test their popularities”.
Oshiomhole stated this at a peace meeting held at the early hours of Thursday just as he recognized that Governor Okorocha is the leader of the party in the state, therefore “I will not allow any body to take him for granted or rubbish his personality”.
The Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon.
Acho Ihim led the governor’s group while Senator Uzodinma led the other group.