Yobe aspirants allege disenfranchisement

Agroup of aspirants in the just concluded ward congresses of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) across Yobe State have alleged that they were disenfranchised, calling on the party’s national leadership to cancel the exercise.

The leader of the group, Alhaji Adamu Yaro, who is also a former APC youth leader in the state, spoke on the issue yesterday at a press conference in Damaturu.

The former youth leader said over 1000 aspirants from the 178 wards paid for nomination forms in banks as directed by the party but were denied access to the forms.

“We duly paid for the forms in the designated bank accounts provided in the congress guidelines, and have our tellers at hand patiently waiting for the Ward and Local Governments Congress Committee (W&LGCC) members or the State Organising Committee to issue us with the nomination forms.

“Later, we were reliably informed that the forms had already been issued out to some selected and favoured candidates,” Yaro said.

He said the W&LGCC arrived Damaturu 9pm on Friday, May 24, 2018.

“They made us to believe that all sensitive and non-sensitive materials and nomination forms for the congresses are with them. But, to our surprise, by 6am on Saturday, congresses have been concluded in Potiskum,” he added.

Yaro said the State Executive Committee of the party failed to observe the party’s constitution and guidelines during the conduct of the congresses.

Responding to the allegations, the state APC secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Bakabe, said the nomination forms were in their custody for distribution but none of the aggrieved members came to them with a teller to collect the forms.

“The committee only came with results sheets, summary forms and additional nomination forms. But we already have the nomination forms here even before their arrival. None of them came with a teller asking for the form,” Bakabe said.

He said the return of the party executives through affirmation was a collective decision by the stakeholders to avoid “costly straight election”.

“Most of the people grumbling that they wanted us to go for straight election are not contributing to the party. All these people were elected by popular votes in the past. They only enjoy the status quo. Their tenure was elongated,” he added.