A few hours before the presidential election of the ruling All Progressives Congress, a group of women supporters of one of the presidential aspirants, Bola Tinubu, have urged the party's National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, to ensure transparency and allow party delegates to choose a candidate of their choice at the upcoming primary without fear of intimidation.
Under the banner of Ondo State Women for Tinubu, the group also urged all APC delegates to vote for the person of their choice as the party's presidential candidate without fear of harassment.
Mrs Bola Ige, the group's leader, said in a statement issued on Friday that while the constitution provides for a consensus candidate, it must be a true consensus in which all aspirants sign a written document indicating their agreement.
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According to the group, there was a need to ensure transparency and allow party members to vote for their preferred candidate during the primary.
While condemning what it called an attempt in some quarters to compel delegates to vote for a specific candidate, the group urged party leaders to refrain from such behavior and give all aspirants a level playing field.
"In the spirit of justice, equity, and fair play, our great party should allow all presidential aspirants to run in the primary," Ige said. "Let the people decide who their president will be." Plans to force people to support a rumored aspirant will undoubtedly breed hatred and disunity within (the) APC, jeopardizing the party's chances in the general election."
She also warned against any selection process that amounted to or resembled imposition, describing such an act as a deliberate plan to cause disaffection, crisis, and disunity in the party and Nigeria in general.
