Some protesters from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Wednesday besieged the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and demanded the resignation of the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.
The protesters, who barricaded the street leading to the secretariat, accused Oshiomhole and the party leadership of trying to impose candidates on them ahead of the 2019 general election in the name of direct primaries.
The protesters chanted and danced along the street as they wielded placards with various inscriptions including: ‘Oshiomhole stay clear of FCT primaries!’ ‘We want indirect primaries!’ Oshiomhole, leadership is not activism!’ ‘Oshiomhole destroying APC!’
The speaker of the group, Usman Mohammed Karsh, who addressed journalists, said, “We are here to protest injustice. We are here to protest imposition. We are here to sound it loud and clear that we are solidly in support of president Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. We are here; tell all who have ears that, in the FCT, results will not be written. We are here to state it loud and clear that FCT APC is going for indirect primary.
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“We are here to make it clear to Oshiomhole that we are comrades and that was why we voted for him as chairman. So, we are appealing to his sense of reason. He should be reasonable to give us what we want. FCT APC rejects direct primary in FCT.”
He said that the group was only asking for the party leadership to respect the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) on the mode of primaries.
He said, “NEC was very clear about it that all should go back to their states, and chose whatever method they want. That it is either you go for direct, indirect primaries or consensus.
“The FCT leaders, all nine senatorial and 15 House of Representatives aspirants met and agreed that FCT is going for indirect primary. Why should Oshiomhole and the National Working Committee change it? It is unacceptable. You cannot write results here in the name of direct primaries. It is not possible.”