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From Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
A Coalition of Support Groups from All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State, has called for the outright cancellation of the party’s Gubernatorial primary held in the state.
Speaking at a press conference held at Sokoto NUJ secretariat, the Secretary of the Coalition, Bashar Binji said the primary that produced, Ahmad Aliyu, an erstwhile Executive Secretary, Police Trust Fund was full of irregularities and not in accordance with the laydown rules of the electoral act.
The Coalition said it’s members are concerned that the process isn’t only a “rape on democracy, but also a complete charade orchestrated by enemies of democracy” to achieve their selfish goals.
He further stated that the election result was a desperate attempt to impose an unpopular candidate against the wishes of the party members and electorates in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
“For record emphasis, we wish to categorically state here that, the primaries of Thursday, 26th May 2022, was from its onset a monumental manipulation by some self-centered party leaders in the state to favor certain aspirants.
“Delegates who appeared to be not dancing to their tunes were chased and assaulted out of the venue, even the three Gubernatorial aspirants were only lucky to have escaped after being attacked by political thugs, by the gate of the state party secretariat.” Bashar explained.
According to the coalition, the venue of the primaries was initially set to frustrate the comfort of delegates with a view to give way for the conduct of the corrupt exercise.
Binji also maintained that the party secretariat was deliberately fixed for the election process knowing fully that it lacks space and security for the conduct of a successful election.
“The unsuitable nature of the place made people suspicious which was later confirmed when officials conducting the primaries intentionally switched off power while delegates were allowed to continue casting their votes in darkness.
“In another brazen violation of the APC constitution and the electoral act, official members of the committee saddled with responsibilities of accrediting delegates were substituted overnight, bringing in children and friends of the state party leader to fill their positions.
“During the exercise, delegates were openly prevented from voting themselves, and instead, some selected individuals in the name of agents were assigned to vote on behalf of the delegates while ballot boxes were deliberately placed in front of the state party leader in a dubious attempt to identify delegates who refuse to vote for their anointed candidate.
“Based on the aforementioned, we the members of Coalition of APC Support Groups hereby disagree in totality with the outcome of the exercise and insist it must be canceled for the interest of justice and fair play,” Binji averred.
The Coalition however called on the APC National Chairman, the APC National Working Committee among other party stakeholders to declare the Gubernatorial Primaries held in Sokoto as illegal, null and void and ensure justice comes into play in order to avoid the “possibilities of repeating the mistake of 2011.”
