Six Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have faulted the primary election conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
The coalition of CSOs under the aegis of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria expressed this stance in a release co-signed by its Team Leader, Mr. Oseratin Kalu, and Team Secretary, Mr Victor Edmund, made available to newsmen on Saturday.
The CSOs include the Grassroot Development and Peace Initiative; Global Development Centre for Rescue Mission; and the Centre for Development and Transformation Initiative.
Others are the Initiative for Peace, Humanity, and Social Advancement for Women; the Great Light Women Empowerment Initiative, and the Advocacy for Quality Leadership Initiative.
The group said that among notable irregularities were a lack of awareness among party members about the process, a dearth of stakeholders meetings to inform party members, and the absence of the party voters register for aspirants who had made payments.
The coalition argued that the issues undermine the transparency, credibility, and inclusivity of the primary election process, potentially leading to diminished trust among party members.
“Lack of awareness among party members led to a knowledge gap, resulting in a sense of disillusionment and frustration among the party faithful who had expected a more inclusive and transparent election.
“The absence of stakeholders meetings left many aspirants and their supporters feeling neglected and uninformed about crucial aspects of the primary process.
“The unavailability of party voters register impeded the ability of aspirants to effectively engage with and mobilize potential voters within the party “, the group said.
It urged the party’s leadership to address the challenges to ensure a fair and democratic primary election, strengthen the party, and promote a genuine sense of participation among its members.