…Calls for Urgent Review
Concerned stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State have expressed dissatisfaction with the way and manner the House of Representatives and the Senatorial primary elections were conducted across the state, calling for the urgent review of the exercise.
Addressing journalists during a press conference in Lafia on Tuesday, the spokesperson of the group, Hon Abdullahi Yammani, alleged that the APC House of Representatives and the Senatorial primary elections conducted across the state were characterised by irregularities.
He complained that in Lafia, many electoral wards were denied election materials or received them very late, making it impossible for many members of the party to fully participate in the exercise.
The Spokesperson listed areas where election materials were allegedly not supplied or arrived very late, including Gayam, Akurba, Wakwa, Agyaragu, Assakio, Ashige, Shuabu/Kwandere, Barking Ladi, and Arikya electoral wards, among others.
Hon Yammani complained that there were no coordinated arrangements for the collation and submission of results across the state; the situation, he said, generated confusion, raising concerns over the credibility and transparency of the exercise.
He said that the stakeholders were particularly worried over the various roles played by national officials and some party leaders in the state during the election, calling on the national chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to urgently look into the complaints arising from the conduct of the House of Representatives and Senatorial primary elections, with a view to addressing it for the interest of fairness and justice.
The stakeholders, therefore, demanded an urgent inclusive meeting with aspirants and relevant stakeholders from the officials and committees deployed from the national headquarters of the party in Abuja, to properly review the conduct of the election and address the various concerns arising from the process.
The Spokesperson also demanded the proper establishment of designated and identifiable collation centres for the collection and submission of results of the primary election results, accessible to party members and stakeholders across the state, among others.
He expressed the fear that the development would create disunity and internal crises in the party, warning that these could also affect the overall performance of the party in the general election if the issues were not addressed.
“Our attention has been drawn to the irregularities that characterised the conduct of the recent APC Senatorial and House of Representatives primary elections in Nasarawa State.
“As concerned members and stakeholders of our great party, we find it necessary to express our dissatisfaction over the way the exercise was conducted in some parts of the state.
“Information available to us revealed that in some wards within Lafia and its environs, election materials were either not supplied or arrived very late, making it impossible for party members to fully participate in the exercise. Some of the affected wards include Gayam, Akurba, Wakwa, Agyraragu, Assakio, Ashige, ‘Shabu/Kwandare, BAD and Arikya wards, among others.
“It is also unfortunate that there was no properly coordinated arrangement for the collation and submission of results across the state, a situation which created confusion and raised serious concerns about the credibility and transparency of the entire process.
“Furthermore, many party members have continued to express concern over the role played by some officials saddled with the responsibility of supervising the exercise, especially with reports that officials expected from the national headquarters of the party were not visibly present in several affected areas during the election.
“There are also growing concerns among party faithful regarding the conduct of some members of the APC leadership in Nasarawa State, notably decisions during the exercise that appeared to favour certain candidates and individuals, thereby raising questions about fairness and neutrality in the process.
“As loyal members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), we believe that fairness, justice and transparency must always guide every democratic process within the party to sustain unity and strengthen confidence of members ahead of future political engagements.
“We therefore call on the national leadership of our great party, under the leadership of Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, to urgently look into the conduct of the Nasarawa State primary elections and take necessary steps to address the complaints raised by members in the interest of peace, justice and unity” The Spokesperson added.
