From Celestine Ihejirika, Jalingo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election in Taraba State suffered a setback on Saturday following the late arrival of members of the election committee, forcing the exercise to be postponed to Sunday, May 17.
Chairman of the election committee, Mr. Tsenango Abancha, attributed the delay to transportation challenges while distributing election materials.
He apologized for the inconvenience caused by the late arrival of both the committee members and election materials in Jalingo, noting that they arrived behind schedule.
“I want to first of all apologize to the people of Taraba for arriving very late. It was not intentional because Taraba is quite far from Abuja and we could not come by road.
“We collected the materials and we have to wait for the flight which makes us arrive late, but we are glad that the process is starting in earnest.”
Abancha, in his opening remarks, announced the committee’s adoption of direct primaries for the selection of House of Representatives aspirants across the state.
He assured party members and the public of a transparent, peaceful and credible process in line with the APC constitution.
According to him, the exercise may extend beyond one day due to the wide geographical spread of the state.
The committee chairman also dismissed fears of manipulation, emphasizing that the forms were intact and untampered with.
Earlier, the Taraba State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abubakar Bawa, welcomed the committee members despite the setbacks encountered.
Bawa assured them of the party’s support towards ensuring a successful and peaceful primary election capable of producing credible candidates for the state.
He also thanked the aspirants and APC members in the state for remaining calm despite the delay, describing the situation as an act of God.
