Nigeria’s Ruling Party Amends Constitution, Reveals Eligibility and Primaries.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has amended the provisions in its constitution governing the adoption of indirect primaries to nominate candidates for elective offices in line with the Electoral Act.

This was contained in a document dispatched to state branches of the party from national secretariat.

It reads, “The constitutional amendment, affects nomination of candidates for the office of Governor, Senator and Member of the House of Representatives.

Prior to the amendment, the entire members of the executive committees at Ward, Local Government, and State levels and statutory delegates were employed as an Electoral College of delegates in indirect primaries in breach of Article 20 (iv) (a), (b), (c) and (d) of the APC Constitution 2014 (as amended).

It required an Electoral College of delegates democratically elected by members of the Party from the various Wards.

The Party had to amend the old constitution or comply fully with the provisions of its constitution on indirect primaries requiring democratically elected delegates.

(1)
(Under the APC Constitution 2022 (as amended), for the nomination of candidates for the office of Senator and Member of the House of Representatives only the Chairman and Secretary of the Ward Executive Committee are now members of electoral college.)

This is opposed to the previous method that made the entire members of the Ward Executive Committee members of the Local Government Area Congress that will form the Electoral College of delegates.

(2)
(Also, five Delegates per ward, at least two of whom shall be women, shall be elected at a Ward Congress as members of the Local Government Area Congress that will be part of an Electoral College.)

Additionally, all members of the National, Zonal, State, and Local Government Executive Committees, including all statutory delegates, are members of the Electoral College for the nominations of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives.

This was contained in Articles 20(4)(ii) and 12.13 of the APC Constitution 2022, as amended.

(3)
(Regarding the nomination of candidates for the office of Governor, only the Chairman and Secretary of the Local Government Executive Committee, with five delegates per ward, at least two of whom shall be women, shall be elected at a Ward Congress as members of the State Congress that will form an Electoral College for the nomination of candidates for the office of Governor.)

Electoral college to pick Governor also include members of the National, Zonal, and State Executive Committees, including the statutory delegates.

(4)
(As per nomination of candidate for House of Assembly, it shall be by the Ward Congresses constituting the State Constituency, Ward Congress and all officers and registered members of the Party in the Ward, who are financially up to date.)

(5)
(“It requires an Electoral College of delegates democratically elected by the members of the party from various wards” (paragraph six).
That’s to say if any Chairman or Secretary is not democratically elected and participated in nomination of a Candidate in the party primary and the primary Election challenged in the court of law by any Aspirant from the party or Candidate from other party that Election shall be cancelled and awarded to the opposition party.)

The document explained that, “Delegates in (2) above is LG Delegates ONLY for House of Reps and Senator, while Delegates in (3) above is State Delegates ONLY for Governor.”