Six APC aspirants insist on direct primaries for Sokoto guber ticket; Distance selves from process otherwise

BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto

Prior to the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the governorship primaries Thursday, six out of the seven aspirants in Sokoto insisted on direct primaries.

The six aspirants include Senator Abdullahi Umar Gada, Hon Dr Abdullahi Balarabe Salame, Ambassador Faruk Malami Yabo, former Minister, Yusuf Suleiman, Senator Ibrahim Gobir and Alhaji Abubakar Gumbi.

Addressing newsmen on their behalf in Sokoto, Senator Abdullahi Umar Gada and Hon Abubakar Balarabe Salame urged the APC National Working Committee to act fast before the party’s chance becomes flawed by illegality.

While insisting that the APC in Sokoto has no leadership, Senator Gada said, “Chairman should recall that only few days to the primaries, a pronouncement was made by the Sokoto state Federal High Court with a confused pronouncement that is neither here nor there.

“Consequently, in order to put the party in a strong position, six out of the seven aspirants formally requested for direct primaries as contained in the electoral act 2022 as amended”.

Continuing, they said, “While waiting for the gracious approval of the NWC, we the undersigned have opted to be on the side of the law by deciding to keep away from the charade about to take place in the Sokoto state APC. We make bold to submit that whatever happens in the course of this so called exercise cannot stand the test of law. Thereby putting the state chapter at the highest risk of nullification of whatever may emanate  therefrom irredeemably”.

It will be recalled that the Sokoto state chapter of APC has been engulfed in inter party crisis over leadership with three factions claiming legitimacy.

The party was until recently seen by pundits as a house divided against itself with each of the three factions having its own chairman.

Mainasara Sani is the chairman of Senator Gada faction and enjoyed the backing of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) while Alhaji Dogon Daji is the chairman of Hon Balarabe Salame faction and Hon Sadiq Isa Achida heads the Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko led faction.

The result is that the party has been enmeshed in series of litigations until recently when Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto reaffirmed Hon Sadiq Isa Achida as the duly recognized State chairman of the party.