PDP, APC presidential primaries: How delegates emerge and go vote for di parties national conventions

Wit less dan one year to di 2023 general elections political parties don begin conclude dia preparations together.

In line wit di Electoral Act 2022 di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) roll out guidelines for di conduct of di process.

Di commission also direct all political parties to obey di guidelines especially di smooth conduct of dia primaries.

In compliance wit INEC directive di two leading political parties; di All Progressives Congress (APC) and di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for dia make or mar primaries.

While 14 aspirants dey hope to be candidate of di PDP, di ruling APC get up to 23 aspirants.

Di new Electoral Act allow political parties to adopt one of direct, indirect and consensus mode of primaries. Experts including Inec advise parties to adopt consensus mode to avoid wahala.

“Direct primaries no make sense at all. E dey give chance for plenty wuru-wuru to happun,” Tuduru Edeh a Senior advocate of Nigeria tell BBC Pidgin.

E say “na dat time governors and political leaders dey pad di list wit unknown pipo. Direct primaries dey give chance to legal wahala too much.”

However, di two parties don decide to use indirect primary wey allow delegates to vote for primaries.

Section 84 (8) of di act say “A political party wey adopt di system of indirect primaries for di choice of dia candidate go clearly go clearly outline dia constitution and rules di procedure for di democratic election of delegates to vote for di convention, congress or meeting.”

Wetin be delegates election

Na two type of delegates dey — ad hoc and statutory.

Ad hoc delegates na delegates wey dem elect through congresses for ward level across di country while statutory delegates — also known as automatic delegates — na those party members wey dey office or don hold public office before.

Oga Edeh say “di delegates dey powerful. Na dem go decide di fate of di aspirants if di party no fit reach a consensus. To use statutory delegates also dey expensive becos e dey attract too much crowd.”

Except President Muhammadu Buhari sign di Electoral Act 2022 Amendment Bill na only ad-hoc delegates political parties go fit use for dia national convention.

“Wen di National Assembly dey pass di Electoral act dem do am in a hurry. Dem forget dia sef. Dem forget to include di use of statutory delegates for Section 84 (8) of di current Electoral Act 2022 (as amended).

“E don already late to do anything now becos even if president Buhari sign di new act wey dem just amend again, e no go take effect. does not provide a role for statutory delegates during the convention,” di Senior advocate tok.

Di two main parties in preparation for dia primaries comply wit di act.

PDP for statement dem release as part of dia guidelines for di primary say “By virtue of Section 84(8) of di Electoral Act, 2022, delegate wey go vote for di Indirect Primaries and National Convention of political parties to elect candidates for elections go be those democratically elected for dat purpose only.

“Consequently those qualified and eligible to vote as delegates for di forthcoming Primaries and National Convention of our great Party, PDP na di three (3) AD-HOC Delegates per ward, wey we dey elected for Ward Congresses and one (1) National Delegate per Local Government elected for Local Government Area Congresses.”

Debo Olugunagba, PDP national publicity secretary explain for statement.

Breakdown of APC, PDP delegates

Di ruling APC don decide to use 2,340 adhoc delegates wey come from three delegates from each of di 774 local government area and six area council of di Federal capital territory.

According to di just concluded congresses of di APC dis na zonal breakdown of dia adhoc delegates;

South-West: Lagos – 60, Ekiti – 48, Ogun – 60, Osun – 90, Oyo – 99, Ondo – 54, Total – 411.

South-South: Akwa Ibom – 93, Bayelsa – 24

Cross River: 54, Delta – 75, Edo – 54, Rivers – 69, Total – 369.

South-East: Abia – 54, Anambra – 63, Enugu – 51, Ebonyi – 39, Imo – 81, Total – 288.

North-East: Adamawa – 63, Bauchi – 60, Gombe – 33, Borno – 81, Yobe – 51, Taraba – 48, Total – 336.

North-Central: Kogi – 63, Kwara – 48, Benue – 69, Plateau – 51, Nasarawa – 39, Niger – 75, FCT, Abuja – 18, Total – 363

North-West: Kaduna – 69, Kano – 132, Katsina – 102, Kebbi – 63, Jigawa – 81, Sokoto – 69, Zamfara – 42, Total – 558.

On di oda side, di main opposition PDP settle for 810 delegates. One delegate from each of di 774 local goment areas of di kontri and one state delegate from each state of di federation. Dat is 774 plus 36 go make dem 810.

Date and venue of PDP, APC primaries

Afta adjusting and re-adjusting dia dates di two main parties go finally hold dia national convention dis weekend.

Di PDP for dia final statement fix 28 and 29 May for dia presidential primaries while APC say dem go hold dia own on 29 and 30 May.

Di opposition party for dia 98th national executive council meeting announce say dem go use di Velodrome of di MKO Abiola Stadium of Abuja.

Di ruling party on di oda hand go use di Eagle square also for Abuja.

Di parties chose two dates sake of tradition say national convention no dey finish in one day.

BBC Pidgin go bring you live updates of di primaries live from Abuja on Saturday till Monday.