7 Aspirants Dare Yari, As Zamfara APC Crisis Deepens
Seven aspirants for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Zamfara State have met and resolved to challenge what they described as Governor Abdulaziz Yari’s bid to impose his candidates on the party.
The aspirants in a communiqué made available to our correspondent in Kaduna, said they are determined to end “the years of impunity by the incumbent governor in 2019”.
They appealed to the national headquarters and leaders of the APC to take the responsibility of conducting the primary elections away from the state-controlled mechanism, preparatory to the 2019 general election, or “APC will lose Zamfara.”
One of the aspirants, Alhaji Sageer Hamidu Gusau, who spoke with our correspondent in Kaduna, confirmed that the aspirants met on Thursday, saying the meeting frowned at the action and conduct of the governor’s “self-appointed kingmaker status.”
The meeting, which was attended by Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi (former governor), Malam Ibrahim Wakkala Muhammad (deputy governor), Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali ( Minister), Aminu Sani Jaji (member, House of Reps), Engnr Abu Magaji, Alh Dauda Lawan and Alh Sagir Hamidu was to “review the decision and open declaration by Abdul’aziz A. Yari, the governor of Zamfara State, that he had finally selected the persons to contest all elective state and federal political posts under the APC ahead of the 2019 general elections.”
The communiqué issued at the end of the meeting said it also considered the present political situation of Zamfara State and what the political future of the state is likely to be, based on the prevailing circumstances.
“After exhaustive deliberations, the meeting arrived at the conclusion to “reject the purported selection of individuals through illegal and undemocratic means and declaration of such persons as the consensus candidates under the APC for contest in the 2019 general election in Zamfara State.
“The meeting agreed that unless this political excesses by the governor is checked, he would have set a dangerous precedence.”
The aspirants said, “the most appropriate thing required under the circumstance is to assign the task to an independent and neutral team,” and insisted that the primary elections preparatory to the 2019 general elections in Zamfara State should be conducted through direct election method to allow for a level playing ground.
They said this will ensure the participation of as many party members as possible; and to also ensure transparency and fairness, which is the only means of guaranteeing satisfaction of the electorate.
The meeting also called on the leadership of APC at all levels to take necessary measures to save the party.
“We plead with the federal government and the leadership of APC to save the people and the resources of Zamfara State from further deterioration, which could be caused by political inappropriateness, in view of the present devastating effect and untold suffering being experienced on account of collapse of security in the state.
“The meeting hopes that other relevant leaders and stakeholders of Zamfara State would rise to the challenge of dominance of the democratic space through primitive manipulation of democratic institutions,” the aspirants stated.
But reacting, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state, Alhaji Shehu A Isah, said their allegations were baseless because no one was stopped from purchasing nomination forms or participating in the primaries.
“Instead of them to start complaining, why don’t they go and start wooing delegates? There is nothing wrong with the decision of the party to produce a consensus candidate and the party would stand by the decision,” he added.
He added that activities of the party in the state are being guided by INEC