By Osaiyekemwen Confidence
In a press conference held in Benin City, the Edo State Labour Party Chairman, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi, reiterated the party’s commitment to ensuring that only card-carrying members participate as delegates at the upcoming Governorship primary election on February 24th.
Comrade Kelly emphasized that this arrangement would remain unchanged despite any protests from anonymous individuals. He also highlighted that the use of party officials as delegates can lead to transparency and credibility issues, making it important to rely solely on card-carrying members.
Furthermore, Comrade Kelly condemned the recent protests carried out by unidentified individuals, armed with dangerous weapons. He described their demands as undemocratic and encouraged members to distance themselves from such activities.
To avoid conflicts of interest and maintain impartiality, Party executives from State to Ward level will not serve as delegates at the primary election. Instead, each local government will produce five persons per LGA to represent their LGAs at the Primary Election.
The decision aligns with Section 84 Subsection 8 of Nigeria’s amended Electoral Act (2022). Comrade Kelly cited regulations stipulating that political parties choosing indirect primaries should outline their regulations and processes for midwifing these elections. In this case, only card-carrying members are allowed to participate in a democratic process, assuring that the primary process will be free, fair, and objective.
The Edo State Labour Party Chairman and executives called on members to support this initiative as the party aims to provide credible and competent candidates for the Governorship election.
Comrade Kelly however appealed to all members of his party and Nigerians generally to disregard false insinuations from unauthorized quarters since he assured everyone concerned that his leadership is poised towards ensuring transparent and credible processes during the upcoming gubernatorial election in Edo state.
