APC Crisis: What Electoral Act 2022 says on consensus candidate

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu on Monday told National Working Committee (NWC) members that Senate President Ahmad Lawan will be the consensus candidate of the party.

According to him, the announcement was based on his consultation with President Muhammadu Buhari. The announcement was received with stiff resistance by NWC members who insisted the primary slated for June 6-8 must hold with all aspirants allowed to contest.

On January 25, the National Assembly passed a harmonised re-amended electoral act with consensus as one of three options for primary elections. The other options are direct and indirect primaries.

But the National Assembly set strict guidelines for consensus to scale through. Political parties, according to the amendment, would not adopt consensus candidates unless other aspirants for the elective position tender written documents indicating their consent to withdraw from the primary. The aspirants would also state their endorsements of the consensus candidates.

Clause 84(9)(a) of the re-amended electoral bill states: “A political party that adopts a consensus candidate shall secure the written consent of all cleared aspirants for the position, indicating their voluntary withdrawal from the race and their endorsement of the consensus candidate.”

If the written consent was not obtained, the party would jettison the consensus arrangement and proceed with either direct or indirect primary election, according to Clause 84(9)(b), which states: “Where a political party is unable to secure the written consent of all cleared aspirants for the purpose of a consensus candidate, it shall revert to the choice of direct or indirect primaries for the nomination of candidates for the aforesaid elective positions.”

Clause 84(9)(c) states that even when aspirants tender written documents to pave the way for emergence of consensus candidates, a special convention or nomination congress will be held to ratify the choice of consensus candidates at the national, state, senatorial, federal and state constituencies, as the case may be.

The bill further states that where there is only one aspirant or a consensus candidate in a political party for an elective position, a special convention will be convened at a designated venue for the confirmation of the aspirant after which his name will be forwarded to INEC as the candidate. (The Nation)