…adopts indirect primaries
BY MYKE UZENDU ABUJA
Ahead of it’s primary election for Dennis Osadebay house, scheduled to hold on 22 February, Labour Party (LP) has pegged the cost of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at N30 million.
The party further adopted indirect primary election as the mode of election that will throw the party’s governorship candidate for the September 21st election.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh made the disclosure on Tuesday in a statement in Abuja issued at the end of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The party’s leadership said that N5 million is the cost of the Expression of Interest form while N25 million is for nomination form.
The statement reads, “Arising from the meeting of the National Working Committee of the Labour Party held on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, under the chairmanship of Barrister Julius Abure, the leadership of the party took far-reaching decisions as regards the guidelines for the conduct of Congress/Primaries to elect candidates for Edo state gubernatorial election. They include:
“NWC approved the sale of forms to every interested aspirant from the state who are Nigerians and indigene or resident in the state.
“NWC approved that the Fees for Expression of Interest shall be Five Million Naira only (N5,000.000.00) while the Nomination Form shall be Twenty-Five Million Naira only (N25,000.000.00).
The committee, according to Mr Ifoh, also “approved Indirect Primary election wherein a ward and local government congresses shall hold to elect the flag bearer”, he said.
The party’s mouthpiece said that the NWC approved the commencement of the sale and submission of forms between 25 January and 11 February,
He added that female aspirants are exempted from paying for expression of interest form only.
He said the screening of the governorship aspirants will be held on 14 February while the primary election comes up on 22 February and the resolution of disputes or appeals arising from the primaries on 23 February.
He said that the NWC appreciated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which carried out its verification duty earlier in the day and commended the leadership of the party for complying with INEC’s rules and regulations.
Ifoh said the committee passed a vote of confidence on the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure.
“NWC passed a vote of confidence on its National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure for effectively piloting the affairs of the party and giving it a proper direction.
“It noted the milestone the party achieved in the recent general election where it won as many as one governorship, seven Senate, 34 House of Representatives and numerous States House of Assembly seats.
”It regretted that the number depleted after losing some seats through the courts while also hoping to gain more seats in the coming days through rerun elections.
“The NWC also pledged its loyalty to the national leader and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi for his commitment to the party despite the electoral robbery witnessed in the country recently,” the statement said.
Note that there are over 30 aspirants on the platform of the LP in EdNote that there are over 30 aspirants on the platform of the LP in Edo State.
The party got the highest number of votes in the state during the 2023 presidential election with its candidate, Peter Obi, securing 331,163 votes.