Furore over ACN primaries
•Osoba, Adesina’s sons for Reps, Tinubu picks wife, in-law
By Sunday Ani
Sunday, January 16, 2011


•Osoba
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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The recent primaries conducted nationwide by the various political parties may have exposed the soft under-belly of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as a party lacking in internal democracy.

Beside the fact that there were no primaries to elect candidates, party leaders freely installed their cronies and family members as candidates for the impending election.
The party also allegedly included a form compelling aspirants to resign.

But the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Lai Mohammed, explained there was nothing strange in it and that it doesn’t show that the party lacks internal democracy.

According to him, “in any political party, whenever there is a post to be filled, the party elders will announce it and then see if the position can be filled without an election, but where member cannot agree that is where we have primaries. In the case of ACN, the people agreed to the choice that the elders picked and that is why if you were at the place they did it aspirants that lost joyfully congratulated the eventual winners.”

Unlike what obtained in other political parties, the ACN filled all the positions on offer through consensus arrangement, which left several aspirants shortchanged. Party chieftains imposed their wife, sons and in-laws as candidates to the chagrin of many party members. In states like Edo and Osun where there were primaries, the exercise was marred by violence and protest.

In Ogun, Aremo Segun Osoba brushed aside Lekan MKO-Abiola in favour of his own son, Olumide, as the candidate for House of Representatives seat of Abeokuta North/Obafemi Owode/Odeda federal constituency. In Oyo, Lam Adesina installed his son, Adedapo as the candidate for Ibadan South East/North East Federal Constituency.

Perhaps it is in Lagos that the scam was more pronounced. Former Lagos governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, picked his wife as candidate for Lagos Central senatorial district and son-in-law, Oyetunde Ojo, as the candidate representing Agege state constituency. But Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, who was seen more as the face of the ACN at the senate was pressured out of the race in favour of a permanent secretary in the state civil service, Gbenga Asafa.

Those averse with development at the national assembly fear that Mamora’s predicament might effectively stall a Bill seeking to regularize the controversial 37 Local Council Development Area created by the state government that he is presently pursuing. In Ogun, beside the fact that MKO Abiola’s son moved to the Congress for Progressive Change with his followers to pursue his aspiration, the choice of Remi Bakare as the candidate for Ogun central senatorial district is also causing ripples as those against his candidature claim he wanted to be governor and not senator and should not have being nominated as senator.

Lai Mohammed, while explaining the inability of Mamora to return to the senate disclosed that the position was taken to another local government after the senator has served for eight years.
He added, “ Mamora was a bright brain in the senate and we will definitely miss him but in democracy, you can’t shut out people permanently. He has five local governments under him and he has been there for two terms and the people want the post shifted to another local government. It is sad but that is the reality.”

The ACN spokesman also disagreed that the nomination of sons of some party chieftain displayed nepotism.

This is damn hilarious!!!!
. . .Political office by family inheritance! And we have been laughing at the Saraki's owning Kwara. Its a new kinda slavery peeps!

acn , pdp bane of nigeria

I guess the beginning of the end of ACN

As far as I am concerned ACN is the worst party in Nigeria.I say that because not even in PDP we all call names does one person control the affairs.TINUBU is ACN and ACN is TINUBU.I strongly recommend we vote for individuals in this coming election and not parties

F democratic process within the party!!!

Some people gather together and try and raise a party with more men with morals, vision, principles and work ethic than most political parties we see in Nigeria, then you want them to throw open the selection of representatives of the party to the average deranged, corrupt, selfish loons that strandle, unashameably the Nigerian political landscape.

That is when you will see delegates bargaining for money and voting-in the most corrupt moneybag or AGIP (Any government in power) that can distribute the most money. Then you get candidates like Alao Akala or Atiku.

F democratic process within the party!!! Let the sane minority select the candidate for now.

You think if they did democratic primaries, people like Fashola would have a chance?