2018 APC National Convention: Oshiomhole wins national chairman without votes

Former Governor of Edo State, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, has been declared winner of the National Chairman of the APC at the Saturday, June 23, 2018, national convention held at the Eagles Square, Abuja, without casting of votes by delegates.  The Chairman of the 77-memebr Convention Committee, GovernorMohammed Badaru Abubakar, of Jigawa State, had announced at about 4.07pm that the position of the national chairman was unopposed, and therefore, declared Oshiomhole winner of the chairmanship position by fiat without single ballot by delegates. He, however, got the crowd to through voice votes confirm the victory of Oshiomhole as winner of the national chairman of the party.

The Convention Committee Chairman thereafter, declared several other offices unopposed and therefore automatic winning for the anointed candidates.  These include the national secretary, national treasurer, national publicity secretary, among others.

The convention which was expected to go through stages of voting for all the contested positions went through endorsement process, shortening the duration of the process.

Before this Saturday’s convention, APC leaders did extensive negotiations to sponsor consensus candidates for the various positions in the National Working Committee (NWC), resulting in what transpired in the convention this Saturday.

There were indications that the Saturday national convention of the APC was going to be a coronation ceremony rather than elective process.

The process ultimately led to seeming intimidation of other candidates who did not withdraw from the race before the Saturday convention. Accordingly, every other candidate stepped forward to announce their withdrawal from the race.

However, the convention organizers remarked that voting still occurred for few other positions. The voting was taking place simultaneously with declaration of withdrawals.

At about 4.44pm, the convention chairman,Governor Badaru Abubakar, ordered the stoppage of voting, as well as further campaign by some other candidates.