Lokoja – An aspirant for the Senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kogi central Senatorial district, Mrs Rahamatu Sheu Atttah has rejected the conduct and outcome of the primary conducted by the party on May 28.
Attah in a statement in Lokoja
on Tuesday said that there was
no primay election and that no aspirant emerged as winner or candidate.
The statement was read out to journalists in Lokoja by her spokesman, Mr Yusuf Adeku Abdulkadir.
According to her, what happened on March 28 was just a predetermined selection of Abubakar Sadiq Ohere and not an election as being said in some quarters.
Atta insisted that the due process was not followed as there was no accreditation of delegates as required by the Electoral Act.
“There was no accreditation of delegates. When we requested, for 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 was the Returning Officer contrary to APC guidelines . This is a gross aberration of the rule,” She said.
Aside these, Atta alleged that a female delegate single handedly voted on behalf of other delegates by writing the name of Ohere on the ballot papers as the preferred candidate.
“We objected to this but we were ignored. In spite of our persistent insistence that that the due process must be followed and that the guidelines must be complied with , they failed and refused to acknowledge our protests.
“Therefore, we decided to stage a walk out on protest,” She explained.
Atta stated that attempts to resolve the matter by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee from the APC headquarters in Abuja was frustrated.
“While the process of mediation was ongoing , the Returning Officer and all other political appointees there present were impatient.
“They again commenced voting without waiting for a resolution , thus time in a more disorganised manner,” the statement.
She said that herself and another aspirant, Alhaji Dalhatu Sheriff were left with no option than to stage a walk out and left the venue in protest.
“Only for us to read in social media some fictitious and laughable result with imaginary votes allotted to us,” She explained.
She called for immediate cancellation of the so called primary due to flagrant irregularities, disregard for the provisions of the Electoral Act and non-compliance with guidelines.
Atta said with the evidences adduced above, the election cannot and should not be allowed to stand for the sake of justice and fairness.
She said that the APC should be prepared to conduct fresh primary in Kogi central Senatorial district, insisting that the one claimed to have been held on May 28 was a complete sham and an embarrassment to the party.
She appealed to her supporters and other party members to remain calm and be law abiding.
Attah further counselled her supporters to resist the temptation to resort to violence as a result of the obvious manipulations of the process, saying that the peace being currently enjoyed by the people should not be put in jeopardy.
“I am very sure that , His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello would not condone the assault on democracy as exhibited by his political appointees who were present in their full security compliment at the venue characterised by intimidation in broad day light,” Atta stated. (vitalnews)
