The All Progressives Congress , APC, House of Representatives Primary Election Committee for Lagos State has urged electoral officers to discharge their duties with transparency and fairness.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Saleh Yipmong, gave the charge ahead of the APC primary election on Saturday at the APC Secretariat in Ikeja. He addressed electoral officers deployed to the 24 federal constituencies in the state ahead of the party primaries. Yipmong urged the officers to uphold the party guidelines and ensure a level playing field for all aspirants.
According to him, the exercise is strictly an internal affair of the party and must be conducted transparently. “We are here to conduct the elections, as you are aware, either through direct primaries or consensus.
“It is strictly our party affair and all actions must be transparent,” he said. Yipmong urged the officials to conduct themselves responsibly during the exercise. “What we are doing today should be guided by the future we all desire tomorrow. “You must remember that everyone contesting remains a member of the APC family.
“Whoever emerges today will still need the support and cooperation of others tomorrow. “Therefore, your actions and conduct throughout this process must reflect unity, maturity and responsibility,” he said. The chairman said there were clear guidelines for the election which all officials must follow.
“Every registered member of the party is eligible to vote and everyone here is already aware of these criteria. “Voting will take place at the ward level and that is why the agents and officials on the field are very important. Your integrity matters greatly,” he said.
Yipmong said all aspirants were entitled to have agents participate in the process. “All candidates are entitled to have agents and every action taken must be transparent to their representatives. “No matter the number of contestants in any constituency or local government, everyone must be given a level playing field,” he said.
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He explained that results would first be collated at the ward level before final collation at the state secretariat. “At the end of the exercise, results will be collated at the ward level. “The final collation and official announcement of results will be done at the state party secretariat,” he said.
Yipmong said members of the committee would monitor the primary election in selected constituencies across the state. He added that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) might also observe the exercise. “We are here to cooperate with you. If you do what is right, the process will go smoothly. “If otherwise, there will still be consequences because no wrongdoing can truly be hidden.
“The best approach is transparency,” he said. The chairman urged officials to protect the image and integrity of the party during the exercise. “As members of the committee, we are committed to doing what is right.
“At the end of the day, Lagos APC must not be brought into disrepute. “This is the centre of the APC, the place where the party was birthed. “None of us would want to see it diminished,” he said.
Yipmong said where aspirants agreed to adopt a consensus candidate, necessary documentation should be completed accordingly. “The most important thing is for everyone to go to the field and conduct themselves properly. Let transparency lead the way,” he said. Also speaking, the Lagos State APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, urged electoral officers to serve diligently and comply strictly with party guidelines.
Ojelabi said the officers must adhere to directives issued by the committee from the party national secretariat. The News Agency of Nigeria , NAN, reports that electoral officers departed the APC Secretariat at about 12 noon after receiving election materials and result sheets.
NAN
