2 APC guber aspirants seek direct primary election in Sokoto

By Muhammad Nasir

Sokoto, May 26, 2022

Two gubernatorial aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State have requested the national headquarters of the party to permit for the conduct of direct primary election in the state.

The aspirants are former Senator Abubakar Gada and Rep. Balarabe Salame (APC-Illelah/Gwadabawa).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gada made the appeal at a news conference on Thursday in Sokoto on behalf of the duo.

They said that the request was in furtherance to a letter, dated May 15, to the APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu.

“This is to bring to your notice and remind you that Sokoto state APC had been without recognised leadership due to litigations resulting in claims and counter-claims incessantly.

“The APC National Working Committee (NWC) should note that only a few days to the primaries, a pronouncement was made by the court on the leadership of the party in Sokoto.

“Consequently, in order to put the party in a strong position, six out of the seven aspirants for the governorship ticket formally requested for direct primaries as contained in the Electoral Act, 2022,” he said.

Gada added that they were aware of several other states that requested for a direct primary due to unresolved issues in their respective states’ leadership.

“We are also aware that states like Osun, Abia and Benue had since been permitted to select their candidates through direct primaries.

“While waiting for the gracious approval by the NWC, we have opted to be on the side of the law, deciding to keep away from the charade about to take place in the state chapter.

“We make bold to submit that, whatever happens in the course of the so called indirect primaries in Sokoto cannot stand the test of the law.

“Thereby putting the state chapter at the highest risk of nullification of whatever may emanate therefrom, irredeemably.

“Therefore, we are respectfully informing the APC National Chairman that we are not part of this compromised process in the interest of our party,” he added.