A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Taofiq Raimi, has stated that the party is not violating any laws by adopting either consensus arrangements or direct primaries in selecting its candidates.
He explained that within the party’s established process, aspirants who purchase nomination forms but do not agree to a consensus option are typically allowed to contest through direct primaries.
According to him, the APC’s approach is guided strictly by its constitution, and members with complaints are free to submit petitions through the appropriate internal mechanisms.
He added that since the party began its current selection process, it has consistently followed this structure to manage disagreements and ensure fairness among aspirants.
“However, in a situation where an aspirant purchased and duly submitted nomination forms, successfully passed screening, declined to sign any affirmation form for consensus, and had supporters fully mobilised for direct primaries — as witnessed in the Kano Central Senatorial primary — yet the election itself never took place and loyal party members were left waiting for several hours under the sun, how should such a matter be resolved?” — The National Patriots
Such a process raises serious legal, political and democratic concerns and risks being viewed as illegitimate and unacceptable under the spirit of internal party democracy. The Kano Central situation appears exceptional and sensitive enough to require urgent intervention by the APC national hierarchy as well as the state leadership in the interest of peace, fairness and party unity.
The APC cannot afford to approach a major political battle in Kano as a divided house. Doing so could amount to political suicide at a time when opposition forces led by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso are reportedly preparing an aggressive political strategy aimed at reclaiming Kano for the NDC ahead of wider national ambitions towards 2031.
The APC must therefore prioritise reconciliation, inclusiveness and internal justice. No genuinely aggrieved party member should be ignored, undermined or politically alienated if the party hopes to maintain a united and formidable front going into future elections.
