Ibrahim Oyewale, Lokoja
Worried by the alleged wanton irregularities in last Saturday’s senatorial primary election in Kogi State, a female All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant, Ramatu Tasalla Shehu, has urged the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to as matter of urgency conduct a fresh primary in Kogi Central senatorial district of the state.
Shehu made this call while speaking at a press briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat, Kogi State Council in Lokoja yesterday, stressing that the aspirants were not given the same opportunities as the election was tailored toward a preferred candidate to emerge.
The senatorial aspirant, who was represented by her media aide, Mr. Yusuf Adeku Abdulkadir, said other aspirants were not allowed access to the delegates’ lists or allowed to get a copy of the list.
She said: “I wish to disassociate myself from the kangaroo Kogi Central senatorial district primary elections held on May 28, 2022, at Kahal Cinema Okene.
“I want posterity and history to note that there was no room for fair play and equity. We were not given equal opportunities, because the election was just a predetermined selection and not an election process led byAbubakar Sadiq, the state Commissioner for Work.
“As aspirants (Dalhatu Sheriff and I) were never at any time allowed access to the delegates’ lists. Nor were we obliged with copies.
“There was no accreditation of the delegates. When we requested the reason why they were not accredited, we were informed that they have been accredited by their respective local government chairmen.
“We were still in shock that Alhaji Yahaya Karaku is the Returning Officer contrary to APC guidelines. This is a gross aberration of the rules.
“As soon as the voting was meant to start, a female delegate came forward and collected the ballot paper and walked to SSA Security, Okene LGA, Mr. Zubairu Amoka, to start writing out the names of the preferred candidate, Ohere, on behalf of the delegates, which we objected to. But we were ignored. Despite our insistence that due process must be followed and that the guidelines must be complied with, they failed and refused to acknowledge our protests. Thereafter, we decided to stage a walkout in protest.
“Upon reaching outside, I called the chairman of the Electoral Committee from the APC headquarters, he advised that we return to the venue, and I immediately called Dalhatu Sheriff to join me, he arrived, and we waited outside for the committee to arrive as well. The chairman and the other Electoral Committee members joined us, and we went back to the hall. At this point, the voting stopped temporarily. And the chairman of the Electoral Committee tried to mediate among the three of us. While the process of mediation was ongoing, the Returning Officer and all the other political appointees there present were impatient.”
Shehu alleged that the composition of the senatorial electoral committee in Kogi State ran contrary to the National APC electoral guidelines.
She added that all she was asking for was a level playing ground, adding that “let the people choose who they want, to ensure internal democracy.”
