By Olajide Idowu
Osogbo – The All Progressives Congress, (APC) has shifted its primary election to pick a candidate to replace the late Sen. Isiaka Adeleke of Osun West Senatorial seat by 24 hours.
The primary was scheduled to hold on Monday, but was shifted till Tuesday to enable the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to study the Screening Committee report.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed July 8 for the bye-election following the death of Adeleke on April 23.
Mr Sanusi Rikiji, the Head of the Screening Committee, told a news conference in Osogbo on Monday that accreditation would begin at 8.00 a.m. on Tuesday to kick-start the primary.
“The postponement of the primary from Monday, June 12 to Tuesday 13 is to allow the NWC study the outcome of the screening and appeal committee filed and for us to be informed about their positions.
“By 8. 00 a.m. tomorrow, accreditation will commence and the primary will hold afterwards, ” he said.
Rikiji, who is the Speaker of Zamfara House of Assembly, said, “according to the provision of the party’s guidelines, tomorrow’s primary will just be an affirmation as there is only one aspirant.”
He said although Mr Mudasiru Husain was disqualified by his committee, he had filed an appeal before the APC Appeal Committee.
Rikiji said the content of Husain’s appeal was unknown to his committee, adding that the party’s NWC would take a decision on the appeal report.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APC screening committee disqualified Sen. Husain on Saturday for being active in public service against the stipulated party’s guideline.
The guideline stipulates that any aspirant that wants to contest an elective office is expected to have resigned from the public service 30 days before the primaries, but that Husain is still a Commissioner in the current state administration.
With the disqualification of Husain, only Mr Demola Adeleke, the younger brother of late Adeleke would be the standard bearer of the party for the bye-election.
Husain, a two-time senator, took oath of allegiance as commissioners on May 30.
However, Husain denied the claim of the committee that he had not resigned, saying “I have resigned my position to contest again for the senatorial seat.”