By Jude Opara, Abuja

The aggrieved seven aspirants who boycotted the primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state which took place last week last Friday petitioned the National Secretariat of the party to cancel the exercise. The seven aspirants include; Dayo Adeyeye, Opeyemi Bamidele, Kayode Mojo, Femi Bamisile, Bamidele Faparusi, Demola Popoola and Afolabi Oluwasola.

The aspirants who had a common petition addressed to the Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state among others claimed that the sensitive materials including voting materials and result sheets were distributed to supporters of the eventual winner, Biodun Oyebanji.

Badaru who is also the governor of Jigawa state was at the National Secretariat of the APC last Friday to submit his report told newsmen that contrary to the claims of the other seven aspirants, the exercise was conducted in line with laid down guidelines of the party.

Badaru said; “We have submitted the results sheets and reports where they were conducted. In 166 wards, we had elections but in 11 wards the exercise was disrupted and we canceled those areas but in 166, people actively participate. And I think you all have the videos of what transpired in all the 166 wards except the 11. Even the 11 that had crisis, I am sure you have seen the videos.” 

On the alleged manipulation by the seven aspirants who pulled out of the process, the governor said; “We landed on the 26th, I had meetings with all the aspirants and seven attended out of the eight and we discussed the guidelines and we agreed on all the terms.  “What they are alleging probably is that party members loyal to the governor were chosen to serve as Returning Officers in various wards and local governments.

They raised that at the meeting and I told them that the guideline is to use the party people to do the job. We cannot hire or take people that are not from the party. I also told them to give us 20 people each from the party that they believed will do justice to them. And they provided those 20 list which we incorporated them into the Returning Officers.  “But you can see from what happened that they are supposed to have agents in all the 177 wards. And this 11 wards that the primaries were disrupted were wards that had relationship with most of the aspirants. So, you can see if they have that power, to stop the congress, they could have done it also in the other 166 wards.” 

While responding to a question whether the party will not experience what happened in the last exercise it had in Anambra state where the APC candidate, Sen. Andy Ubah scored more votes at the primary than he did at the governorship election, Badaru said he is sure of victory for his party when the election takes place in June. “The winner got 101,000 votes out of 180,000 registered members. So it is a very realistic fact. It is only 60-65% membership that comes out to vote which is very realistic. And for those of you that have been there on the field, you have gone round ward by ward by yourselves that it is actually people that voted. Before the election, I promised the aspirants that I will never receive a result written where people have not participated in the process. And that was why the 11 wards cannot be return to me because I knew there were violence and election didn’t take place. That is why I canceled them.” 

The Jigawa state governor equally appealed to the aspirants that are aggrieved to sheath their sword and join the party to work for success in the forthcoming elections. “They are party members. What we expect them to do is to join hands with us so that we can continue to build the party and we continue to support the candidate that emerges. At the opening of my engagement with the aspirants, at the stakeholders meeting that we held in Ekiti State, I told them that power comes from God. And it is only God that will determine who will win. And if we take it in our hearts to be patient, God will certainly reward you. But if you chose to castigate and humiliate people, and cast insults on people, God is watching. You will certainly harvest what you have done because the truth will always come out. And we did this primary with utmost fear of God. And those that knows me know I cannot write result for anybody,” Badaru concluded. Meanwhile, the protesting aspirants and their supporters are billed to organize a mass protest at the National Secretariat of the APC to further drive home their demand for a fresh primary election.