The Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi has rejected the results of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Primary election for Niger North Senatorial District held last week Saturday in Kontagora, Kontagora local government area of the state.
Sabi contested for the senatorial ticket against the state governor, Alh. Abubakar Sani Bello.
He described the exercise under the watch of the Chairman of the APC Primary Election Committee for Niger State, Dr. Ray Murphy as a total violation of the guidelines and procedures for the conduct of the party primaries and the electoral act 2022 and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In a five-page letter of petition, he signed and addressed to the Chairman, APC Legislative Election Appeal Committee for Niger North Senatorial District, the deputy chief whip called for the cancellation of the primary election which he claimed, was heavily manipulated and a forceful usurpation of the people’s mandate.
He alleged that the entire process from accreditation of delegates to voting was hijacked by the member, representing Kontagora/Mariga/Magama/Wushish Federal Constituency, Abdullahi Idris Garba who, he said had no business in the Senatorial primary election.
The lawmaker claimed that the delegates list that was used in both the House of Representatives and state Assembly primary elections was changed during the Senatorial primary, adding that new names were called to replace the legally recognized local government delegates that clearly contravened section 115(1)(a)and 119(1)(e) and (f) of the Electoral Act.
Senator Sabi alleged that the verification and accreditation of delegates were done in the private residence of the federal lawmaker, located at Maigari Godabe road, opposite Safari annex in Kontagora, instead of the official venue, the Teachers house in Kontagora.
According to him,” some delegates were invited to the private residence of the Federal lawmaker, and the event at the private residence turned out to be an official process of harassment, intimidation, threats, hijack/Kidnapping delegates who were serially threatened by the security details of the state Governor and an Aspirant in the Senatorial election, Abubakar Sani Bello”
He further alleged that the residence played host to the state Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of the State Security, Niger State and all other state government functionaries in a deliberate show of force over the delegates.
“The delegates they held there were issued tags suggesting that they have been verified and accredited, and ready to vote even when we thought we were still waiting for the arrival of election materials, including tags that had the name and picture of the state governor on them. All these were done without the presence of my agent, Mohammed Garba Danladi”
“We later learned that the 10 members local organizing committee headed by the state organizing secretary of the party, Musa Fasasi headed straight to the residence of the Federal Lawmaker where all the schemes and emasculation of the entire process was hatched and subsequently executed”.
Sabi then called for a legal, free and fair primary election where the will of the people will not be coerced nor manipulated, but in line with the party guidelines and procedures.