All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has dashed the hope of a possible refund of money to aspirants, who sought the party’s ticket for the governorship election in Kogi State but lost.
Oshiomhole said the party was not about to change its tradition by refunding their money even though the party has not received any request for any refund.
He spoke with reporters after holding a meeting with the 16 aspirants who purchased the party’s nomination form to contest the primary.
The party’s NWC has named three-man appeal committees for the primaries conducted in Kogi and Bayelsa.
Kogi’s Indirect Primary Appeal Committee members include Senator Abdulahi Umar Yandoma (chairman), Hajia Amina Muhammed (secretary) and Tony McFoy (member).
Members of Bayelsa Direct Primary Appeal Committee are Shuaibu Aruwa (chairman), Edith Newman Amadi (secretary) and Abdul Malik El-Yakub (member).
According to the party’s chairman, it was not the first time the party was conducting primaries and has a tradition, which has to be maintained.
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Of the 16 aspirants that bought the nomination and expression of interest form at the cost of N22.5 million, seven of them were not cleared to participate in the exercise for various reasons. Nine others, including Governor Yahaya Bello, were cleared.
At the end of the primary conducted by a committee led by Jigawa State Governor Badaru Abubakar, Bello was declared winner and the APC governorship candidate for the November 16 governorship election.
Asked whether the party was considering refunding money to some of the aspirants, Oshiomhole said: “Our party is guided by rules. If there are issues that we need to discuss, those are APC issues and not meant for the press. We are not doing an election for the first time. We have traditions and we don’t have any application before us.”
Oshiomhole added: “This afternoon, we had extensive conversation as APC family to talk through issues arising from the Kogi State governorship primary, which was conducted last week.
“I am sure that you know some of those who participated or attempted to participate in the process. They are men and women who, by any criteria, can be said to be fit and proper persons to govern a state. But as you know, in democracy, if you have 16 angels, as we had, seeking the mandate of the people to produce just one person as governor, it means that 15 angels will not get it.
“So, winning or losing a primary is not a statement of your integrity, your capacity, your capability or your intellect. It is simply a fact that once you have more than one candidate and you have only one vacancy, only one person will win.”
The APC Chairman announced that all those who lost out in the process have assured the party that they will not challenge the outcome of the exercise in court, but will work for the success of the party during the election.
All the governorship aspirants that bought nomination form, including those cleared and those not cleared, except Admiral Usman Jibrin attended the meeting.