By John ODHE, YENAGOA
The Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has adopted direct primaries for the election of candidates to fly the party’s flag for the 2027 House of Representatives election in the State.
Briefing the press in Yenagoa on Saturday morning ahead of the exercise slated for same day, chairman of the Electoral Panel for the national assembly primaries, Solomon Ogba quoted relevant constitutional provisions which authorized the APC to opt for a direct exercise.
“The all progressives congress in Bayelsa State has decided to rely on section 84, subsection 2 of the 2026 Electoral Act which is direct primaries for this exercise,” he explained.
Ogba further stated that all necessary arrangements had been put in place to ensure a seamless, fair and credible exercise including selection of reliable officials to conduct the polls at the various wards and local and federal constituencies.
“We have painstakingly selected the people that will conduct the elections in all the wards and the federal constituencies for the exercise. They are people of proven integrity and we believe that they will be able to discharge this responsibility fairly.
“We also intend to conduct this exercise very fairly, transparently and we call on all of us to help us to achieve this. The committee has distributed sensitive and non sensitive materials to all polling areas in the state,” he said.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the State Commissioner of Police, State Commandant of the Nigerian Secretary and Civil Defence Corps and other top security personnel were present during the briefing.
While thanking the Bayelsa State government for providing a peaceful and a level playing ground for the exercise, the electoral panel chairman, however, did not mention the names of the aspirants screened to participate in the exercise in each of the five federal constituency seats in Bayelsa State.
