All appears set for the emergence of Pastor Osagie Ize -Iyamu as the candidate of the APC for the 2020 governorship election. This is sequel to the decision of the two other aspirants, cleared by the screening committee to contest the party’s primary, to withdraw from the race.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, confirmed the development in a telephone interview with Sunday PUNCH, in Abuja, on Friday.
Although he did not name the aspirant left in the race, our correspondent gathered that Ize-Iyamu had emerged as the candidate of the party.
Asked how many contestants were participating in the party’s governorship primary, Issa-Onilu said, “We have only one person. The two other persons have written to us to withdraw from the race.”
With the coast cleared for Ize-Iyamu, he is still required to receive the endorsement of party members in line with provisions of Article 20 (iii) (a and b) of the APC Constitution 2014 (As Amended).
It stipulates, among other things, that …“where a candidate has emerged by consensus for an elective position, a vote of “Yes” or “No” should be called to ensure that it was not an imposition which could breed crisis.”
However, the APC was silent on the number of members expected to participate in the direct primary.
When contacted, the APC National Organising Secretary, Emma Ibidiro, said the Hope Uzodinma-led Election Committee would be better placed to provide such details after assessing the situation on the ground.
However, figures released by the party during the 2018 direct primary for the nomination of the President,Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s standard bearer for the 2019 Presidential Election showed that 505,827 party members voted for Buhari to emerge as the party’s candidate in the election.