A Gubernatorial aspirant under the All Progressive Congress in Sokoto State and member representing Gwadabawa-Illela Federal constituency, Abdullahi Balarabe Salame, has alleged illegalities in the concluded elections of delegates, ahead of the party primary.
Speaking at the Congress hosted by the delegates election committee ahead of the commencement of the exercise Salame, alleged that three local government areas had already elected their delegates long before the inauguration of the committee.
Salame, who belonged to a faction opposed to Aliyu Magatakardan Wamakko, has aligned himself with Senator Abubakar Gada’s faction of the party.
Abdullahi Balarabe Salame allegations came shortly after the chairman of the committee and former deputy Governor of Borno state, Alhaji Abubakar Ali Jatau, and the chairman of the Election Panel and former deputy Governor of Taraba state, Armaya’u Abubakar, as well as the APC chairman in the state, Isa Sadiq Achida spoke.
In his reaction to the allegation, the chairman of the panel clarified that the election materials arrived the same day the congress meeting was holding, stressing that such allegation was baseless and unconfirmed.
In a related development, a Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto upheld an earlier judgement passed by a court of appeal in Abuja regarding Sokoto state APC leadership tussle in favour of Alhaji Isa Sadik Achida as the state chairman of the APC party in Sokoto state.
The presiding judge, Justice James kolawole Omotosho dismissed the case filed by the Mainasara Sani-led faction of the APC which had claimed that Mainasara was the state chairman of the party.
The judge dismissed the case on grounds of filing out of time, stressing that
the case should have been filed within 14 days after the appellant court judgement that set aside the Abuja High Court judgement on the matter.
Justice Omotosho noted that political parties had acceptable guidelines, pointing out that the guidelines included conducting party congresses at party secretariat which was not so in the case that produced the Mainasara-led executive committee.
He said the move negates the guidelines set up by the APC for the conduct of states’ congresses.
Justice James kolawole Omotosho warned that conducting congresses outside the party’s secretariat is a threat to democracy.
It would be recall that Hon. Abdullahi Salame faction produced Surajo Abubakar Daji as its Chairman while
Senator Wamakko led faction produced Isa Achida and that of Senator Gada led faction produced Mainasara Abubakar Sani.
NASIR MALALI