An APC Aspirant demand for fresh primaries in own Constituency.
By Abdullahi Idris,Bauchi
An upsurge of popular demand by constituents of Disina state constituency has appealed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Bauchi, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar to critically look into the party primary elections into the constituency with a view to rectify the anomalies in its conduct.
The constituents at a reception organized to expressed their gratitude to the Almighty God over the smooth conduct of the primary election, said however that they were perturbed with the way and manner some party stakeholder spoiled the show by mugging their aspirant’s mandate, Hon. Yakubu Ali into the State House of Assembly.
The campaign director of the aspirant to the legislature, Dr. Armaya’u Alhaji Sani noted with dissatisfaction that delegates were prior to the primary election conned into one house for three consecutive days only for the electoral committee to announce the results on the e-day.
He said, “It was a so-called primary election into the Disina constituency of the State House of Assemble, but it was a hoax. Delegates were hoodwinked, coaxed and coerced into a house three days prior to the election conduct, they were even threatened to expulsion from the party should they go contrary to a directive”.
Dr. Armaya’u therefore drew the attention of the Bauchi state APC gubernatorial candidate on this barbed issue, stressing “My fear is for the party members and electorate electorates to be forced into party activities, a situation that robbed APC of the governorship seat in 2019”.
Dr. Armaya’u, “On the day of the primary election, I seek the support of officers of the State Security Service to ensure that the conned delegates were out from the house for proper election, even if our aspirant would get negative not zero from the election, but they did their worse and came out with result to our disadvantage”.
Armaya’u therefore contended that that they would remain within the ambit of the APC come rain or sunshine, and see how party leaders and critical stakeholders could settle this tricky political issue to the advantage of the party in Disina, state and the country at large.
Also speaking, the Disina state constituency aspirant to the State House of Assembly, Hon. Yakubu Ali said he purchased the APC nomination form, abide by all the rules and regulations guiding the election, unfortunately “Delegates were hoodwinked or caged into one house for three days. Even if it is prayer time, these delegates used to be escorted to the mosque, what a funny thing”, he frowned.
“Those caged delegates were brought from the said house through or into a vehicle to the election venue. They were forced to give the balloting cards to the agents of the opposing aspirant who thumped print and voted for the candidate of the Disina party chairman.
It was really a day-light robbery of my mandate”, Ali said.
“Myself and one Auwalu were the only contestants to the State House of Assembly seat under the All Progressives Congress (APC). We have a total of 25 delegates in number from 5 electoral wards each having 5 delegates”.
Hon. Yakubu Ali explained that he was a founding member of the APC in Disina way back to 2014, “We won all the APC seats in Disina up to the presidency in 2015. I was the winner of the Disina state constituency seat in 2019 but after filling INEC victory form, Disina former APC Secretary went up to Abuja INEC headquarters where he changed my name from the list of winners”.
Ali went on, “Such negative tendency made the APC lose the gubernatorial elections in the state in 2019. Now these same disgruntled elements want repeat the episode.
Two days ago we sat with the gubernatorial candidate of the party in the state, he was thoroughly briefed about this matter and promised along with the party to seriously look into it, we are waiting”.
An APC woman party stalwart in Disina, Suwaiba Ibrahim expressed worrisome on how their aspirant to the State House of Assembly seat, Hon. Yakubu Ali was twice in 2019 and this year dispossessed of his mandate afforded him by the electorates.