“We can’t deliberately deny people of their rights. We agreed that party primaries should be conducted either through direct, indirect or consensus methods, and if anyone feels unjustly treated in the process, such a person can go to court. The court should always be the last resort for the dissatisfied. For the party to outlaw the court process is not acceptable to me," Buhari said.
President Muhammadu Buhari has countered the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) asking aggrieved members of the party to withdraw all cases related to the primaries in court.
He made his position known in a statement by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), on Monday.
According to Buhari, the court should "always be the last resort for the dissatisfied". Therefore, he urged members of the party who feel displeased to approach the court for redress.
“We can’t deliberately deny people of their rights. We agreed that party primaries should be conducted either through direct, indirect or consensus methods, and if anyone feels unjustly treated in the process, such a person can go to court. The court should always be the last resort for the dissatisfied. For the party to outlaw the court process is not acceptable to me.”
In a decision ascribed to the National Working Committee (NWC), the APC had threatened to punish members across the country who institute court cases over election primary matters.
Buhari also advised members to "work with the reconciliation committees empanelled for the six geo-political zones by the APC, and not a purported Presidential Committee on Reconciliation, stressing that the Party is the only body authorised to constitute such committees".