By Musa Baba Adamu with agency report
The governorship primary election of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Jigawa State has come under fresh scrutiny following a petition by one of the aspirants, Hon. Bashir Adamu, popularly known as Matawallen Kazaure, seeking the cancellation of the exercise.
Adamu, a former member of the House of Representatives, submitted a petition to the party’s State Election Appeal Committee, alleging that the primary election was riddled with irregularities, intimidation and violations of party guidelines.
In the petition obtained by journalists, the aspirant accused officials of the party of compromising the electoral process to favour another contender, Sabo Nagudu, who eventually emerged as the party’s governorship candidate.
He alleged that the chairman of the primary election committee abandoned his neutral role and acted under the influence of the ADC State Executive Committee.
According to Adamu, the committee chairman announced the winner under pressure from party leaders, contrary to the provisions guiding the conduct of the primary election.
The aspirant further claimed that state and local government party officials openly mobilized support for his opponent despite his contributions to building the ADC structure across the state’s 27 local government areas.
He also raised concerns over the handling of election materials, alleging that officials entrusted with their distribution deliberately delayed delivery, particularly in the North-West Senatorial District.
The delay, he said, left many party members stranded for hours and forced numerous eligible voters to abandon the process before accreditation and voting commenced.
Adamu further alleged that the situation created an opportunity for political thugs loyal to his rival to seize election materials and manufacture results in favour of their preferred candidate.
He also cited incidents of violence, intimidation and thuggery in several parts of the state, noting that the disturbances compelled the electoral committee chairman to cancel voting in four local government areas.
The former lawmaker argued that the cancellation of voting in the affected councils rendered the exercise inconclusive and questioned the legitimacy of the final outcome.
He maintained that only the duly constituted Primary Election Committee had the authority to announce the result, insisting that the declaration made by the State Executive Committee lacked legal backing.
Consequently, Adamu urged the Appeal Committee to nullify the primary election and order a fresh exercise in compliance with ADC regulations and the Electoral Act.
Despite challenging the outcome, he reaffirmed his commitment to the party and expressed confidence that the appeal committee would fairly address the issues raised in his petition.
