Some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants in Adamawa State, have petitioned the Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu and the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega over alleged illegal and improper conduct of Senatorial/House of Representatives primaries in the state.
In a letter dated December 7, 2014 entitled: “Illegal and Improper Conduct of Senatorial and House of Representatives Primaries in Adamawa State,” the aggrieved politicians alleged that the change of the venue from Adamawa to Abuja, was a breach of the party’s guidelines on congresses as it was done to foist an anointed candidate on party members.
The Senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants, who signed the petition were Senator Grace Bent; Aishatu Ahmed, Mr. Elisha Ishiaku, Mrs. Patricia Bonos, Senator Mohammed Mana, Mr. Umar Suleiman and Alhaji Abba Suleiman.
Others were Alhaji Isa Danburan, Commodore Usman Sali (retd.), Alhaji Tijjani Kwaghe, Dr. Mustapha Saidu, Alhaji Umar Babangida, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Rwatcham, Ahmed Nwangwsi and Mohammed Bassu.
According to them, those who took part in the party’s primaries on Sunday evening in Abuja were hired from the nation’s capital as those who claimed to be delegates, were not known and were not elected in the state.
Beside the use of those they described as fake delegates, they also complained that it was illegal to bring the primaries to Abuja, an action the petitioners said was against the party’s electoral guidelines.
The members of the National Working Committee of the PDP hurriedly shifted the conduct of Senatorial/House of Representatives primaries in Adamawa State to Abuja, an action the aggrieved aspirants claimed contradicted Article 26 (a) (i) (ii) and (iii) of the PDP guidelines on primaries.
The article says that “In the conduct of primaries for the party’s candidates for the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the primaries shall be held at the Senatorial District Headquarters.
” All the delegates to the Special Congress shall assemble in the Constituency Headquarters, the constituency Headquarters shall be as prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission“
Also, Article 26 (b) (i-iii) says: “In the conduct of primaries for the party’s candidates for the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the primaries shall be held at the Federal Constituency Headquarters
” All the delegates to the Special Congress shall assemble in the Constituency Headquarters, the constituency Headquarters shall be as prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission”
They also claimed that the list of delegates for the primaries was changed and substituted “by the people that were hired in Abuja while the authentic delegates from Adamawa State were left in Yola as they could not be conveyed because of the sudden change of venue for the primary elections.”
The aspirants appealed to Mu’azu to object the way and manner that the entire process was handled and save the PDP from collapsing in the state.
No comments:
Post a Comment