By Abdallah el-Kurebe, Editor
A string of Crises rocked country in the aftermath of political party primary elections that produced candidates for various positionsin the run up to the 2019 general elections.
It was more prevalent in Zamfara state where the All Progressives Congress (APC), up to the expiration of deadline for submission of list of candidates, the party was said to have failed to submit its own list. As a consequence, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pronounced that the party would not be among the political parties to present any candidate to contest any position during the 2019 general elections.
But was primary elections held and was INEC right in its conclusion to exclude the APC from contesting the general elections? What was responsible for APC’s alleged failure to meet the deadline to submit the list?
Investigation by Newsdiaryonline revealed that eight aspirants indicated their interests to contest governorship election and chose to undergo primary election should consensus fail to produce individual aspirant as the party candidate. The nineth aspirant was alleged to be governor Abdulaziz Yari’s favoured candidate.
The aspirants are serving Senator Kabiru Marafa; Alhaji Abubakar Magaji; serving Deputy Governor, Ibrahim Wakkala; former governor, Alhaji Mahmud Shinkafi; Minister of Defense, Mansur Dan Ali; Dr. Dauda Lawal; Alhaji Sagir Haladu; Alhaji Aminu Sani Jaji and Mukhtar Shehu Idris, who is alleged to be Yari’s favoured candidate.
Investigation by this newspaper showed that the crisis would not arise if stakeholders were taken along in arriving at a consensus, especially for governorship seat. The failure of a ’stakeholders’ action’ was hinged on Yari, who as the party leader, was alleged not to be disposed to that, “but,” According to Zahraddeen Imam, “bent on imposing his favoured candidate.”
Primaries were allegedly not held, either by consensus, direct or indirect mode, in spite of Yari’s insistence that it did. In fact, the eight other aspirants that were bidding to secure the only coveted seat also said it did not.
The first committee led by Prof. Abubakar Faki assigned to conduct the primary election recommended the cancellation of the election to the National Working Committee (NWC) as a result of alleged violence and malpractice by agents of government.
Newsdiaryonline also gathered that the second attempt by Gana Mohammed-led committee failed to conduct the primary. “We were not able to conduct any election but our election materials are intact with us.
Yari at a press conference called on APC supporters to conduct the election without the supervision of any committee in order to beat INEC’s deadline of October 7th.
Newsdiaryonline gathered that it was at the parallel governorship primary that his alleged favoured aspirant and Finance Commissioner was announced as winner.
It was at the expiration of the deadline that INEC took the hard decision that the APC did not, in fact, hold primary election in the state and therefore could not submit any list to the NWC of the party.
Some members of the dissolved SEC, one of them the party chairman of Gusau local government, Babangida Abdullahi told Newsdiaryonline in an interview that they were in court to challenge INEC’s exclusion of Zamfara APC from 2019 general elections.
“There is no president or governor who would not want to make a choice of his successor. At a stakeholders’ meeting which the governor attended, he did not mention who he would want to succeed him.
“In Zamfara state, we are not used to primary elections. We are more used to consensus and our party is also disposed to consensus.
“When it was agreed that the APC will adopt consensus and that this time around, governorship candidate will emerge from Zamfara Central zone, we arrived at Mukhtari Shehu Idris to succeed the incumbent governor, Abdulaziz Yari. Even when we arrived at Idris, the party did not stop anyone from contesting.
“Deputy governor Ibrahim Wakala, Sen. Kabiru Marafa, Alhaji Aminu Sani and others have enjoyed consensus arrangement. None of these underwent primary election. Nine aspirants came out to contest governorship primary in the state.
“State working committees of state were mandated by party to choose the mode of primary election – either consensus, direct or indirect primaries. Primaries took place among the nine aspirants and Mukhtari Shehu Idris won” he claimed.
“A committee from the National Headquarters of the party came to conduct primary election. The Chairman of the committee did not allow the process of election but went back to say that election was not conducted because of chaos. We elected Idris through direct primaries. INEC, Police, DSS, NSCDC all witnessed the primary election,” he told our reporter.
Babangida explained that they were in court to challenge INEC’s conclusion that primary election never took place.
“We went to court because the INEC has insisted that primary election was not conducted on time as scheduled. But announcement of results began at 11.19pm and before 12am, we had finished. TVC, NTA and other media organisations were at the APC secretariat. There was a representative of INEC, Police AIG.
“The confusing aspect of the story is that why would REC in Zamfara say the primary was conducted but the INEC headquarters would say it was not? INEC chairman only relied on the report of APC presiding officer that primary election was not conducted,” he told our reporter.
An aspirant for the Kauran Namoda/Birnin Magaji Federal Constituency, Ibrahim M Birnin Magaji could not speak with Newsdiaryonline on the excuse that the matter was in court.
But there another side to the story. According to Zahraddeen Imam Gusau,former Director-General (Social Media) Office of Executive Governor in Zamfara state, Yari did not work with stakeholders to resolve the issues that resulted in Zamfara APC’s exclusion from the 2019 general elections.
“Governor Abdulaziz Yari worked as an individual in a room… We have stakeholders in the party in the state. He did not consult them on his desire to field a consensus candidate. More so, the same governor approached some of these governorship aspirants (urging them) to contest but he did not call them back to tell them he had changed position. He took the decision all alone,” he said.
He confirmed to Newsdiaryonline that primary election was not conducted in Zamfara state.
“Primary election never held in Zamfara. It had actually began when they brought in “throwey” (area boys) who disrupted the process. This resulted in the Committee sent by the National Secretariat of the party to conduct the primary, to postpone the election due to crisis.
“Another committee was sent to Gusau but for close to two days, nothing happened. At City Kings Hotel, stakeholders could not resolve on consensus and the crisis rocked on up to the night of the deadline,” he said.
In an interview, Abubakar Mohammed Dauran, APC Vice chairman of Zurmi local government said the crisis that rocked the party in Zamfara state was bred by leaders of the party.
”Our leaders bred the crises in Zamfara state. The party was divided in which case the governor had a preferred candidate whereas there are other aspirants. The governor ought to have engaged all stakeholders with a view to arriving at a consensus candidate. That did not happen and was responsible for the crisis. Nine aspirants for a position in a political party should have seen a convergence of stakeholders to resolve the matter,” he told Newsdiaryonline.
He added that there was no effort by the leaders of the party to meet with stakeholders to resolve the crisis.
“I am not aware that the governor summoned a meeting of stakeholders, including all aspirants to arrive at a consensus candidate. If there was any such meeting, there would have been a head-way.
“On the day of primary, up till 5pm, materials had not been brought and the election was later postponed. On the second day, until 5pm no election held because materials were not brought. It was after people had dispersed that we learned government had instructed that the primary election starts. I am not aware any primary election held. The Major General that came to preside over the primaries confirmed the election never held. As a delegate and local government Vice chairman, I should be able to know that primary election held,” he told Newsdiaryonline.
According to him, there was an instruction from government house to the effect that aspirants for all positions should not print posters. And, he heard the rumour of cash for ticket, he could not confirm that because, even as an aspirant he was not approached on that.
“I was an aspirant for House of Assembly, but we were all asked not to print posters. We later saw list of aspirants from government.
“As for the ‘cash for ticket’, it was all rumour because I was not asked to bring any money for the ticket,” Dauran said.
During Newsdiaryonline’s investigation, all governorship aspirants were said to be away in Abuja, save for the Deputy governor who neither responded to our reporter’s numerous calls and text messages.
Also, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Asma’u Sani Maikudi was also not in town.Equally, the Head of Voter Education, Garba Galadima could not respond to repeated calls by Newsdiaryonline.
It must be noted that the Zamfara crisis has continued to elicit special interest because the political quagmire practically compounded an already combustible security situation in the state presently being ravaged by mindless banditry.
Many had hoped that the preparations for a major election would be an opportunity for the ruling party to show some tact to produce an agreeable successor who may have the mandate to tackle insecurity headlong.However, some APC members appear to believe that the court may still give them a chance.
The opposition parties are equally hopeful about cashing in on the opportunity arising from APC debacle.Only time will tell which party will finally triumph
