The Nigerian Human Rights Community said on Saturday that the direct primary election as conducted by the All Progressives Congress to pick its candidate for the June 18 Ekiti governorship election had once again underscored the need for people’s participation in the choice of their leaders.
NHRC, a coalition of civil society organisations, stated that the manner the outcome of the exercise was celebrated across the state in rural and urban communities by the young and old indicated expression of a popular choice.
Former Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, emerged victorious in the exercise clinching the party ticket among eight contestants.
The group, in its preliminary report made available in Ado Ekiti by its officials – Fred Ojinika and Odebunmi Ajayi, titled, ‘Ekiti APC gov. primary peaceful, credible, inclusive, says CSO’, said that it deployed 350 monitors spread across the polling units in the 177 wards of the state, adding that its observations and recommendations would be forwarded to the National Assembly and all registered political parties in the country.
Ojinika and Ajayi stated, “We saw people’s enthusiasm, confidence and trust in democracy. Even in the face of prevailing challenges, people feel honoured and excited that they were involved in choosing who would represent their political party at the poll. This feeling of excitement strengthens the prospect of greater inclusion and public participation in party internal democracy”.
The NHRC stated, “The direct primary conducted in Ekiti State was credible, inclusive and transparent and it represented the best way to reduce rigging to the barest minimal. It will be unfair to undermine this unique signpost associated with the Direct Primary in Ekiti State.
“There is no perfect system anywhere. The Ekiti APC Primary demonstrates inclusion and expresses the potential and powers possessed by the electorate and their ability to make tremendous input into the process that produces the aspirant of the party they belong.”
On security, the group said that generally, the election was peaceful and well-coordinated without any loss of lives, adding that the exercise was without intimidation, harassment or visible threats to the voters or the aspirants.
It stated, “The returning officers were punctual in all the polling units, accreditation was conducted largely without violence, party membership or voters cards were used by the party members and there was no visible indication that voters were prompted by financial gains.”
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