By Ibrahim Muhammad
A governorship aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Jigawa State, Hon. Bashir Adamu (Matawallen Kazaure), has formally petitioned the party’s State Election Appeal Committee, seeking a review of the recently conducted governorship primary election.
In the petition, which was personally signed by the aspirant and obtained by journalists, Bashir Adamu alleged that the primary election was characterized by widespread irregularities, breaches of party rules, and undue influence from party officials.
He accused the chairman of the primary election committee of compromising his neutrality by acting on instructions from the State Executive Committee, contrary to party regulations.
According to him, the committee chairman eventually announced the party’s candidate under pressure.
The former federal lawmaker further alleged that the State Executive Committee was biased and worked to ensure the emergence of another aspirant, Sabo Nagudu, as the party’s governorship candidate.
Bashir claimed that having played a key role in building the ADC structure across all 27 local government areas of Jigawa State, he was disappointed that state and local party officials allegedly mobilized support for his opponent and were entrusted with election materials, creating opportunities for manipulation of the electoral process.
He also alleged that officials responsible for distributing election materials deliberately delayed their delivery, especially in the North-West Senatorial District. The delay reportedly resulted in election materials arriving late at night after many party members had spent hours waiting for accreditation.
According to the petition, the prolonged delay forced many eligible voters to leave before voting commenced. Bashir further claimed that political thugs loyal to his rival exploited the situation by seizing election materials and producing results in favour of their preferred candidate.
The petitioner also cited incidents of violence, intimidation, and thuggery in several parts of the state, which he said disrupted the exercise. He noted that the electoral committee chairman announced the cancellation of the election in four local government areas due to the disturbances.
Bashir argued that the disruptions made the exercise inconclusive and condemned what he described as attempts to intimidate party members from exercising their democratic rights.
He also questioned the validity of the results announced by the State Executive Committee, maintaining that only the duly constituted Primary Election Committee had the authority to declare the outcome of the election.
Consequently, the aspirant urged the Appeal Committee to nullify the primary election and conduct a fresh poll, arguing that the process violated both ADC guidelines and provisions of the Electoral Act.
Despite his grievances, Bashir reaffirmed his loyalty to the ADC and expressed confidence that the party would fairly address the issues raised in his petition.
