By SIMON EBEGBULEM  & GARBIEL ENOGHOLASE
AHEAD today’s primaries of the Action Congress of the Nigeria, ACN, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, yesterday, met with aspirants of the party, warning that the party will deal “ruthlessly” with any aspirant involved in thuggery.

While assuring that the primaries would be free and fair, the Governor said that contrary to the earlier belief in some quarters that only elected delegates would vote in the primaries, it will be direct primaries, where all card carrying members of the party would be allowed to cast their votes for aspirants of their choice.

He declared that he had no anointed candidate and warned members peddling such rumours to desist from it, just as he condemned the argument by some members that those members of the party who contested in the past but lost should be given automatic ticket rather than allowing the new members who joined the party in the race.

Oshiomhole described such argument as undemocratic, pointing out that “all of us came from some where and there is no where in ACN constitution where it is stated that new members should not be allowed to run for elections. So it will be unfair to say that because you ran for election and lost in the past, you should also be given automatic ticket. That is not done any where.”

The Governor, who emphasised that the leaders of the party would not tolerate the kind of violence that characterized the ward congresses, said  “this is an in-house contest. Any aspirant who brings thugs or armed gangs for the purpose of disrupting the election, once the thugs are associated with a candidate, that candidate stands disqualified. You must not be seen in an area where you are not supposed to be found.”