Taraba APC: Crisis worsens after factional primaries

*Fresh primaries declares sole winner

*INEC in trouble as aggrieved members vow to seek redress in court

*Observers express fear for APC

Barely 24 hours after its fresh primaries, many leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Taraba state on Saturday expressed dismay at the exercise, describing it as illegal.

The supporters of one of the Governorship aspirants, Senator Yusuf A Yusuf, for instance, said it was embarrassing to allot numbers to their principal since he did not participate in the re-run held at a Hotel in Jalingo.

According to them, the action showed that the fresh primaries was pre-arranged and designed to cause confusion in the party.

Five aspirants, including Senator Yusuf had earlier said at a press conference that they would not participate in the event.

They said they were boycotting because of the Supreme Court Judgement that did not accommodate fresh primaries.

Surprisingly, some of them were still allocated some votes in the exercise that has further deepened divisions within Taraba APC.

Reacting to the development, some APC leaders said they may consider legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its disobedience of court orders.

They accused INEC of colluding with Senator Emmanuel Bwacha to emerge as the sole winner in the purported primaries.

Speaking on the development, one of the party stalwarts, Alhaji Dattijo Falau, said there was an attempt to ridicule the party.

He said the exercise did not solve any problem but has created new ones.

He said, “The Bwacha camp did not wait for us to solve the problems on ground but rushed to hold a social gathering. Their action has further torn the party apart.”

Falau said he sensed mass defection hitting the party as many are disenchanted with what the Bwacha camp has been doing.

It was reported on Saturday that few days after the Supreme Court sacked the APC Governorship Candidate, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, the party held another primaries, a situation described by observers as defiance of the judgement of the apex court.

Other aspirants rejected the exercise and boycotted it, heightening tension in Jalingo, the State capital and other areas.

The Supreme Court had, in a unanimous decision, voided the APC primaries that produced Senator Bwacha, but said new primaries was not necessary as it is “otiose.”

The Taraba State APC led by Ibrahim El Sudi who was recently expelled from the position as chairman of the party, conducted the fresh primaries at the Shield Hotels, Jalingo.

A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai was chairman of the committee.