Photo: Gov Lalong
Defeated Plateau APC governorship aspirants reject outcome of primary election
Plateau State governorship aspirants who lost the primary election conducted to produce the APC flag bearer for the 2023 general elections have rejected the outcome of the election.
The aggrieved aspirants under the aegis of the Forum of Plateau APC Governorship Aspirants, made this known in a press conference in Jos on Saturday, signed by Danyaro Sarpiya, the Secretary of the Forum.
They alleged that there was lack of sincerity, hijack of the selection process of candidate by the Governor and his family members, as well as lack of level playing ground for all aspirants, among others.
The governorship hopefuls whose ambitions were truncated said that they had written and appealed to the appeal committee for a redress of what they called a fraud to save the APC on the Plateau and were awaiting the outcome of their protest.
According to them, if their grievances are not immediately addressed, the fate of protest votes which befell former Gov Jonah Jang in 2015, as well as what happened in Zamfara State in 2019 will happen in Plateau State.
The losers are therefore seeking a declaration that the Gubernatorial primaries held on the 26/5/22 that returned Dr. Nentawe Yilwada is not in consonance with the APC Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates for the 2023 General Elections.
They also claimed that the process breached the All Progressives Congress Constitution (October 2014, AS AMENDED) as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended).
The aspirants also seek a declaration that the Gubernatorial primaries held on the 26/5/22 is null and void and liable to be set aside.
The Forum therefore prays for an Order for a review of congresses from the ward level upwards for the proper election of delegates to participate in another primaries to produce a credible candidate.
TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY AGGRIEVED PLATEAU STATE APC GOVERNORSHIP ASPIRANTS OVER THE CONDUCT OF THE JUST CONCLUDED PRIMARIES HELD ON THURSDAY 26TH/06/2022.
Gentlemen of the Press,
We have been forced to invite you for yet another press conference to update you on the recent happenings in the State chapter of our great party the APC.
You may recall that on Monday 9th May, 2022 we had addressed you over the happenings in the party as preparations were going on to select a standard flag bearer as APC candidate in the state and in the release we raised fundamental issues that are capable of derailing the fortune of APC in the state if not addressed.
The issues raised bordered on lack of sincerity, hijack of the selection process of candidate by the Governor and his family members, no evel playing ground for all aspirants etc.
These warnings manifested when party officials, Local Government Chairmen and commissioners were directed to work and return Dr. Nentawe Yilwada or risk losing their positions.
Our press conference was supported by the APC Elders Advisory Council laid by Mr. Danladi Wuyep the acting Chairman and Equity and Justice Forum led by Barr. Oumar Shittien who reminded H.E Governor Simon Bako Lalong of being a beneficiary of a protest of imposition by Governor Jonah Jang and wondered why he has forgotten so soon. Plateau people had thrown their weight against any form of imposition of candidate so Governor Lalong’s case cannot be an exception.
Governor Simon Bako Lalong and the party had been warned of not playing to avoid the repeat of Zamfara and Rivers State primaries in 2019 which made them to completely get edged out, the same scenario if not worse is being played in all the APC primaries in the state.
We wrote to the National Chairman on the 25th May, 2022 complaining of no delegates election in any ward in the state and we have delegates forms paid and supplied by the party uptill this time there is no information about the delegates election.
We were informed that the expired party congres delegates will be adopted for the governorship primaries which we objected that it was contrary to the provision of the electoral act and the party guideline.
Even the expired adhoc delegates continued to have alterations at the venue of the primaries and the final list was not made known to aspirants to even campaign for votes. Only to have arranged people queuing for election as delegates with tags even those from our local wards were not known to us.
The venue was overtaken by government officials to safe their appointments, all the Local Government Chairmen and Government appointees who were not delegates, yet they were more in the hall than the delegates.
The exercise started with accreditation of Qua’an Pan delegates and voting followed immediately with all the delegates being illiterates who could not write and gave all their ballot papers to the agents of Dr. Nentawe Yilwada to cast their votes and it was followed by Langtang South Local Government who went the same way. It was at this point we all walked out in protest.
We have written and appealed to the appeal committee for a redress of this fraud to save the APC on the Plateau.
Our grounds of appeal are as follows:
1. That we are registered members of the All Progressives Congress.
2. That our membership in the party is over the mandatory requirement of 12 months
3. That we obtained and submitted the prescribed form to contest in the gubernatorial primaries of our Party after paying the mandated fees into one of the party’s accredited Bank.
4. That we all have obtained far beyond the required minimum educational qualification for the position.
5. That there was no delegate election and the list of delegates was constantly being amended with the last change effected on the day of the primaries.
6. That the delegates were sequestered by political appointees as well as Local Government Chairmen.
7. That during the primaries, unauthorized persons were in the venue to intimidate and follow up delegate votes.
8. That the whole process was not in consonance with the APC Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates for the 2023 General Elections, The All Progressives Congress Constitution (October 2014 As AMENDED) as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(As Amended).
STATEMENT OF FACTS
We all had identical experiences as it concerned preparations for the primaries. Delegates became a mirage and could not be identified.
Rather than conducting delegate elections to produce delegates that would vote in the primaries, information reached us that the delegates that elected the State Officers of the Party were going to be adopted as delegates for the primaries. Strange as that was, we could not work to garner votes from delegates as the list kept changing even until the day of the primaries. Suffice to say that we all had no list of delegates till date.
Attempts to find out who the delegates were and to reach them was almost impossible as they were accommodated by Local Government Chairmen as well as political appointees who kept personal watch over them hindering us from having access to them.
Worthy of note is the fact that contrary to Article 28 of the guidelines, these Local Government chairmen and political appointees who had no business in the venue of the primaries were allowed entry to immediate and facilitate votes unjustly.
The over 80% of the delegates literally handed over their ballot paper to the agent of the purported winner who filed in what he wanted as their votes.
That contrary to Article 3(j) of the guidelines, the purported winner who until his recent resignation from the Independent National Electoral Commission, is a member of the party for only 4 months and some days now making him ineligible to contest the gubernatorial primaries.
Being that we are loyal members of this great party with no intention of flouting our laws and running a parallel agenda so as not to jeopardize the state and national interest of this party in the 2023 general elections.
RELIEFS SOUGHT:
1. A declaration that the Gubernatorial primaries held on the 26/5/22 that returned Dr. Nentawe Yilwada is not in consonance with the APC Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates for the 2023 General Elections, The All Progressives Congress Constitution (October 2014
AS AMENDED) as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria 1999 (As Amended).
2. A declaration that the Gubernatorial primaries held on the 26/5/22 is null and void and liable to be set aside.
3. An Order for review of congresses from the ward level upwards for the proper election of delegates to participate in another primaries to produce a credible candidate.
SIGNED:
DR. DANYARO DAKON SARPIYA
Secretary, Forum of Plateau APC Governorship Aspirants
