From Jibrin Miachi, Kaduna
As countdown to the much awaited Governorship primary to produce who flies APC flag in the 2023 General Governorship race in Kaduna, one of the topmost governorship aspirants under the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, Sani Sha’aban, a former candidate, has picked hole in the calculated plans to denying him from realizing his political dream.
To this end, the governorship hopeful has petitioned the State headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged non-holding of ward congresses and election of elevates by Kaduna State chapter of APC.
The petition dated May 20, 2022 and addressed to the State Resident Electoral g Commissioner was written by the Director-General of Sani Sha’aban Campaign Organization, Joshua Danladi Ephraim alleging that, “The process was fragrantly abused in Kaduna State as the scheduled congress for the election of delegates never held in any of the 23 local government areas of the State.
According to him “Government agents merely and secretly compiled a list and sent them to our national party Secretariat for return as delegates”.
But in their prompt reaction, the Appeals Committee for the Ad-hoc Delegate Congresses of the APC in Kaduna State, last weekend, upheld the Congress, describing the exercise as successful.
It would be recalled that the party had within last week conducted congresses to elect local government, state and national delegates.
This exercise was said to have been done by consensus in accordance with APC’s elections guidelines and constitution.
The 5-man Committee was headed by Mrs Tinuke Gbadejo Ogunrinde who said, and affirmed that the congresses were hitch-free, as no petition was received before, during and after the democratic exercises.
According to Mrs Ogunrinde, 1,275 delegates were elected for local government and state respectively, while 69 national delegates were unanimously elected.
Thus therefore, while addressing a press conference disagreeing the claim by the the appeal committee, Sani Sha’aban Campaign Director-General faulted the claims of the Appeal Committee, insisting that no such delegates primaries election to produce delegates were ever held in the whole of Kaduna state.
The campaign DG said “We categorically deny, before you and before the whole world, that no such delegates primaries election to produce delegates were ever held in the whole of Kaduna state.
“Secondly, there was a petition written by our campaign organization which the appeal committee refused to collect.
“It is a fact , that many party faithful, paid for, and filled the delegates election forms, which were neither collected by the state, nor the national office of our dear party, thus disenfranchising thousands of APC members in the state of their rights to become delegates as enshrined in the constitution of our great party and the elections guidelines, which we submit, are an integral part of the electoral process to produce the party’s candidates at the elections.
“Furthermore, we have submitted a petition to the resident electoral commissioner of INEC in Kaduna state to the effect that no delegates primaries election to produce delegates were ever held, a copy of which is being made available.
“Also, we have here before you, a petition by our campaign organization about the non conduct of any delegates primaries election to produce the purported delegates in the state. The petition was not collected, by the appeal committee.
“We have here, our petition, challenging the conduct of any delegates primaries election within Kaduna state. Any such list of delegates is a contrivance of agents of the state government.
“The appeal committee refused to collect the petition from us. We, categorically state, that there was no delegates election in Kaduna state APC. This, to us is a travesty of justice and fair play. The whole world should know this.
“We urge the party headquarters of the APC to take note and to take corrective actions in the interest of justice as we are in a democracy and not a dictatorship”. Ephraim appealed.
