The Imo State Governor and the Chairman Edo State Election Committee, Senator Hope Uzodinma has assured that the June 22 All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo State Governorship primary will be conducted in compliance with the COVID-19 protocol.
He gave this assurance on Thursday after a closed door meeting with the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party shortly after inauguration of his committee at the National Secretariat in Abuja.
Addressing newsmen, the governor said; “In their wisdom, I have been appointed to chair the committee to conduct the primaries. I have been given the guidelines to drive the exercise. You are aware there is also a global pandemic, COVID-19 and there are some local legislations in Edo state.
“There is a law that does not allow more than 20 people to gather at a place. That is the beauty of Direct Primary.
“When we get to Edo, we will deploy the necessary manpower to the various polling units with instructions that will not violate the local legislations that will enable our members not to gather more than 20 people at a place and by so doing, with a segmented approach, we will conduct a free and fair primary and our party will be happy with that.”
The governor enjoined party members to join hands in ensuring success of the party.
He pointed out that the challenges being faced by the party were because of those who are envious of the party’s electoral success.
“I want to assure the leadership of the party and indeed the entire membership in the country that we will go and do justice to this assignment and we will not disappoint.
“I want to remind all of us that APC is the party to beat anywhere in Nigeria. The party is growing from strength to strength on daily basis. The tendency for people to become envious and in the process want to create distraction has also become very high but we must rise to the occasion to do all that will make our party be what the people expect.
“Events of the past few days have shown that some people are after us and we must buckle our seat belts. We will face the turbulence but I’m confident that our aircraft will get to the destination. We must field a candidate and our party must be run by those elected. And by the Grace of God, we will win the election in Edo.
“The purpose of disagreement is to agree. As we are trying to disagree in our great party, we are disagreeing to agree. It therefore goes to show that the party is growing from strength to strength.
“All the internal disagreements, the party Constitution is fashioned in a manner that it has provided for ways and means of resolving these disagreements, and this one that has just happened a couple of days ago will not be an exception.
“I think in our usual manner, working with the party leadership, we will resolve all areas of disagreement and we will all be united together and stronger to go into the election in Edo state.”