APC aspirant raises alarm over delay in Taraba direct primaries

By Godwin Agia, Jalingo

APC aspirant for Jalingo, Yorro and Zing Federal Constituency, Princess Leah Olusiyi Solomon, has raised concern over the delay in the conduct of the party’s direct primaries earlier scheduled for Friday across the constituency.

Solomon spoke after monitoring the situation across the five wards of Zing Local Government Area, where party members and supporters gathered in anticipation of the exercise.

She alleged that while sensitive materials for the primaries had arrived in Taraba State, there were doubts over whether the materials and electoral officials would be deployed on time to the affected local government areas.

According to her, supporters who arrived at designated centres as early as 8:00 a.m. were left stranded for hours without the arrival of returning officers or materials in Jalingo, Yorro and Zing.

“Supporters and party loyalists who trooped out to various designated centres as early as 8:00 a.m. were left stranded for several hours without the arrival of party returning officers or materials needed to commence the exercise,” she said.

Leah called on the APC National Chairman to urgently intervene to prevent disenchantment among party faithful and aspirants, noted that her rejection of a consensus arrangement was to allow party members decide who would fly the party’s flag.

She explained that her supporters remained peaceful and ready to participate once officials and materials arrived.

Leah also questioned whether a new date would be announced if the exercise could not hold as scheduled.

Correspondents observed that party members from the ten wards of Zing, eleven wards of Yorro, and ten wards of Jalingo were waiting at various ward collation centres from early morning in expectation of the primaries.

Efforts to get a response from APC State Publicity Secretary Aaron Artimas were unsuccessful as calls and inquiries at the time of filing this report went unanswered.