PDP Primaries: DPO Stoned, One Killed in Gombe

Deputy Speaker, former commissioners lose in Bauchi

One person was reportedly killed in Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State last Sunday evening when the police were trying to drive away unruly supporters from the venue of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election for Billiri/Balanga federal constituency.

However, THISDAY gathered that in other parts of the state, the PDP primaries for the state Assembly and House of Representatives were relatively peaceful.

THISDAY, who monitored the exercise which was held at Tangji, an outskirt of Billiri town, also learnt that the Divisional Police Officer of the area (DPO), who supervised the security operations at the venue, was badly stoned on his forehead, an action which created rancour that resulted in the shooting of a supporter with one other sustaining serious injury.

However, confirming the incident, the Gombe State Police Commissioner, Ishola B Babaita, in a telephone conversation with THISDAY, distanced the killing from the primary election.

According to him, “The killing had nothing to do with the primary election as it was far away from the venue of the primary election.”

Meanwhile, the election, which was held under a tensed atmosphere, saw Hon Ali Isa JC polling 43 out of the 61 votes cast to beat nine other contestants, while his closest rival, Hon Rambi Ibrahim Ayala, polled nine votes.

Winner of the election, Isa JC, who represented the constituency from 2015 to 2019, promised quality representation if elected again in the 2023 general election, just as he thanked the delegates for the confidence bestowed on him.

He said the election was a family affair, and that they will move in immediately to see how they can work together as a team and reconcile themselves.

The former lawmaker said: “You can see that 80 percent of the contestants hugged and congratulated me. So I assure you that we are going to come out strong as one team, so the APC should start parking their loads.”

But in his reaction, Hon Ayala, the current member representing Billiri East in the state House of

Assembly, who contested and polled nine votes, he alleged the militarisation of the whole exercise.

He said the primary election was not a war as it turned out to be, adding that a level playing ground should have been allowed.