Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has assured that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state will immediately commence reconciliation moves with aggrieved aspirants and stakeholders following the party’s governorship primary ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Nwifuru gave the assurance while addressing journalists after the APC governorship primary election held at Amaechara Primary School, Agbaja, in Izzi Local Government Area of the state.
The governor, who emerged as the sole governorship candidate of the party through the direct primary system popularly known as Option A4, said consultations and engagements with party leaders and contestants who lost during the exercise had already begun.
According to him, reconciliation and inclusiveness remain critical to sustaining unity within the ruling party and strengthening its chances ahead of the next general election.
“Definitely, we are going to have stakeholders’ meetings. We have started already, but we are going to start afresh again, especially doing a lot of consultations with our leaders, stakeholders of the party and also working with the aspirants that lost,” Nwifuru stated.
He acknowledged that disappointment naturally follows electoral defeat but maintained that such experiences are part of democratic processes.
“They will not feel happy, but it is one of those things and part of the business. Democracy is in action. Someone can lose and another person can also win,” the governor added.
Nwifuru further defended the adoption of the direct primary system by the APC, describing Option A4 as one of the most transparent and credible democratic mechanisms for internal party elections.
He argued that unlike delegate-based primaries, which he said were often influenced by financial inducement and manipulation, direct primaries allow genuine party members to openly determine their preferred candidates.
“When you come to what they call delegate election, it is almost what they call the highest bidder. But now, in Option A4, once you choose the right candidate, that person will be delivered during the election,” he said.
The governor stressed that imposing candidates on party members usually weakens electoral support and participation during general elections.
“But once you impose a candidate, nobody will come out to put their weight behind such candidate in Option A4. That is why the direct primary is one of the best options,” he stated.
Tracing the historical relevance of the system, Nwifuru noted that Option A4 had been successfully used by political parties in earlier democratic dispensations in Nigeria.
“If you look at the history of SDP and so many other political parties before the Second Republic and even after, Option A4 is one of the best forms of election and you can witness it today. If you lose, you see it; if you win, you see it and you will be happy with it,” he said.
The governor also attributed the massive turnout of party members and supporters during the exercise to the achievements of his administration in the last three years, particularly in infrastructure development, healthcare, education and human capital advancement.
He assured residents that his administration would remain focused, hardworking and decisive in delivering more democratic dividends across the state.
“We will be more decisive in taking actions, more focused and more hardworking. These are the best things democracy can bring,” Nwifuru said.
