By Ibrahim Abdul
Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Adamawa governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Nuhu Ribadu, has alleged that the party’s primary election has been hijacked and compromised by “those who want to assume leadership at all cost.”
Addressing a press conference in Yola, Mr Ribadu disclosed that, as far as he is concerned, no primary election took place anywhere in the state.
The aspirant lamented that the development was an anti-climax to President Muhammadu Buhari’s clamour for sanity, justice, respect for the rule of law and order in the country.
‘’To our shock and amazement, our worst fears were confirmed, as the electoral process was completely hijacked across the state.
‘’Thousands of our supporters trooped to all the 226 wards early enough on Friday to exercise their rights. They waited for hours under the sun till the sunset without sighting any official.
‘’Personally, I visited some of the wards within the metropolis where we met anxious people that were angry at the absence of persons that would coordinate the elections. It is similar report we got from our agents from across the state.
‘’The election materials distributed at the local government headquarters were hijacked by government officials and party leaders, who went on to fill out funny figures and return them to the returning officers as results from the wards.
‘’Interestingly, there is no media coverage of the so-called conduct of the exercise anywhere in the state,’’ Mr Ribadu lamented.
According to him, the primitive clamour for power has made a small group of “unconscionable rats” to discard decorum and decency to the background.
He, therefore, alleged that the exercise was conducted in the night at primary schools and private homes of politicians before announcing fictitious results thereafter.
“How could you conduct primaries in the night? No election has taken place anywhere in Adamawa, and therefore impossible to declare result. This is our demand and we want justice to be done, we should as a matter of urgency save our party,” he said.
He stated that his personal visits to various polling centres in the state capital confirm to him that election did not hold even in Yola, let alone difficult terrains such as Madagali and Michika.
“Officials and materials were hijacked by party officials, who filled and return them with no media coverage at night,” he said.
Mr Ribadu demanded that for the party to regain its lost glory and as a matter of urgency the NWC should immediately cancel the ‘fictitious’ elections while demanding for the disbandment of the party executives.
