One of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressive Congress in Sokoto State and member representing Gwadabawa-Illela Federal constituency, Abdullahi Balarabe Salame, has alleged foul play in the election of delegates, ahead of the party primary.
Salame, while speaking at the stakeholders meeting hosted by the delegates election committee ahead of the commencement of the exercise on Wednesday, alleged that three local government areas had already elected their delegates long before the inauguration of the committee.
“I was reliably told that delegates from Gada, Illela and Gwadabawa had already emerged. I came with somebody who can testify to that,” he alleged.
Salame, who belonged to a faction opposed to Aliyu Wamakko, has aligned himself with Senator Abubakar Gada’s faction of the party.
He made the allegations shortly after the chairman of the committee and former deputy Governor of Borno state, Alhaji Abubakar Ali Jatau, and the chairman of the Election Panel and former deputy Governor of Taraba state, Armaya’u Abubakar, as well as the APC chairman in the state, Isa Sadiq Achida spoke.
Reacting to their remarks, he said they made excellent speeches which were in consonant with the party guidelines.
In his reaction to his allegation, the chairman of the panel clarified that the election materials only arrived today.
“So there would not be any election without these essential materials,” he said.
The chairman further invited the local government chairmen of the party from the said local government areas who also denied the allegation.
The committee’s chairmen in their individual remarks, assured that they would provide an equal level ground for all aspirants.
“We assure you nobody will be disenfranchised,” they vowed.
They call on the party members on the importance of unity among the members of the party which they said was Paramount to their success during the forthcoming election.
Efforts to speak with the chairman of the party in the state, Honourable Isa Sadiq Acida, to react to Salame allegations was not successful as he couldn’t respond to his calls as at the time of sending this report.
Meanwhile, a member of the party who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak with newsmen dismissed all the allegations.
He said the executive members of the party only kept quiet at the meeting simply because of maintaining peace.
He, however, assured that the candidate of the party will emerge through popularity and not by selection or intimidation by anyone.
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