By Aliyu Dangida
A gubernatorial aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Jigawa State, Hon. Bashir Adamu, ( Matawallen Kazaure), has petitioned the party’s State Election Appeal Committee, calling for a review of the conduct of the party’s governorship primary election in the state.
In a petition personally signed by Hon. Bashir Adamu, a copy obtained by journalists, Bashir alleged that the entire primary election process was marred by irregularities, violations of party guidelines, and undue interference by party officials.
The aspirant claimed that the chairman of the primary election committee breached the party’s regulations by acting on directives from the State Executive Committee and abandoning the neutrality expected of his office. He further alleged that the committee chairman declared the party’s candidate under duress.
According to the petition, the State Executive Committee was compromised and allegedly directed its efforts towards ensuring the emergence of another aspirant, Sabo Nagudu, as the party’s candidate.
Bashir who nursed ADC and established existing structures across the 27 LGA’s of Jigawa state alleged that both state and local government party officials actively worked to secure Sabo Nakudu’s victory and were entrusted with election materials, which he claimed enabled them to influence the outcome of the exercise.
Bashir Adamu, the longest serving federal lawmaker further alleged that officials responsible for distributing election materials deliberately delayed their delivery, particularly in the North-West Senatorial District of the state.
As a result, the materials reportedly arrived late at night after many party members had waited for hours without accreditation.
The petitioner stated that frustrated by the delay, many eligible voters left the venue before the commencement of voting.
He also alleged that political thugs loyal to his opponent took advantage of the situation by snatching election materials and fabricating results in favour of their preferred candidate.
Bashir further claimed that incidents of violence, intimidation and thuggery disrupted the exercise in several parts of the state, prompting the chairman of the electoral committee to announce the cancellation of the election in four local government areas.
He argued that the disruptions rendered the primary election inconclusive and condemned what he described as acts of intimidation against party members seeking to exercise their democratic rights.
“Such acts of thuggery undermine the democratic process and infringe upon the rights of party members,” the petition stated.
The aspirant also questioned the legitimacy of the primary election results announced by the State Executive Committee, arguing that only the party’s duly constituted Primary Election Committee had the authority to declare the outcome of theu exercise.
He therefore urged the Appeal Committee to nullify the primary election and order a fresh exercise, alleging that the conduct of the poll violated both the party’s guidelines and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
Bashir maintained that he remains a loyal and committed member of the ADC and expressed confidence that the party would ensure justice by addressing the issues raised in his petition.
