How delegates emerged for APC and PDP presidential primaries

As the 2023 general elections approach, political parties are set to produce their presidential candidates for the elections this weekend.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have adopted indirect primary to allow delegates across the country to vote for presidential aspirants of their choice.

This is in line with the Electoral Act 2022 which allows political parties to adopt either direct, indirect or consensus mode of primaries.

According to Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act 2022, “delegates to vote at the indirect primaries and national convention of political parties to elect candidates for elections shall be those democratically elected for that purpose.”

Hence, the national convention of the APC and the PDP taking place at the Eagle Square and the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja this weekend will have some members of the parties elected to participate in their primaries.

These elected party members called delegates would vote on behalf of other party members across the country to elect the party’s flagbearers in the upcoming presidential election.

Breakdown of the PDP delegates

The PDP recently announced in a statement that “those qualified and eligible to vote as delegates in the forthcoming Primaries and National Convention of our great Party, the PDP are the three Ad-Hoc delegates per ward, elected at the ward congresses and one national delegate per local government, elected at the Local Government Area congresses.”

Going by this, the PDP would have over 3000 delegates to vote at the primary election, but following President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to refusal to sign the amended Electoral Act, the party has now settled for one delegate per local government and 37 delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital territory.

With this, the PDP has 811 delegates to participate in the primary election. Here is the breakdown.

112 delegates from the North-East (Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe)

186 delegates from the North-West (Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara)

121 delegates from the North-Central (Benue, FCT, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau)

96 delegates from the South-East (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo)

137 delegates from the South-West (Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Oyo and Lagos)

123 delegates from the South-South (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers).

Breakdown of the APC delegates

Unlike the PDP, the ruling party settled for three ad-hoc delegates each from the 774 local governments and six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory.

South-West: Lagos 60, Ekiti — 48, Ogun — 60, Osun — 90, Oyo — 99, Ondo — 54. (Total- 411).

South-South: Akwa Ibom — 93, Bayelsa — 24, Cross River: 54, Delta — 75, Edo — 54, Rivers — 69, (Total -369)

South-East: Abia — 54, Anambra — 63, Enugu — 51, Ebonyi — 39, Imo — 81, (Total — 288).

North-East: Adamawa — 63, Bauchi — 60, Gombe — 33, Borno — 81, Yobe — 51, Taraba — 48, (Total — 336.)

North-Central: Kogi — 63, Kwara — 48, Benue — 69, Plateau — 51, Nasarawa — 39, Niger — 75, FCT, Abuja — 18, (Total — 363)

North-West: Kaduna — 69, Kano — 132, Katsina — 102, Kebbi — 63, Jigawa — 81, Sokoto — 69, Zamfara — 42, (Total — 558).