More candidates contesting for Senate seats of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected the outcome of the primaries in their various constituencies, promising to take their issues to the national secretariat of the party for resolution.
Our reporters say not less than twenty contestants across the states have refused to recognize the result of the primaries, saying that the processes were plagued by anomalies.
Daily Trust learnt that the APC held its senatorial primaries on Monday and Tuesday but the event was marred by demonstrations as many of the contenders withdrew from the race over claimed imposition while others disagreed with the processes.
Our correspondents said many of the aspirants have turned down all entreaties to accept the outcomes of the exercise in their respective states and have continued threatening to take the problem further by storming the national secretariat of the party in protest.
However, a reputable source in the party’s national secretariat in Abuja said the party frowns at the idea of bringing problems before the national body when there are processes within the state to address such matters.
He said an appeal body had been set up to receive complaints arising from all the categories of the primaries.
He said some of the unhappy contenders, notably for senatorial and House of Representatives ticket had called the national headquarters to protest but were referred back to appeal committees in their respective states.
“The committees are supposed to act on the complaints,” he added, noting that where they cannot resolve a case, such will now be referred to the party’s leadership.
Reports from our correspondents indicate that in several states the problems could not be handled even yesterday.
“The electoral committee in charge of each of the primaries have the power to announce the result at the venue of the exercise,” the party source stated.
However, he said the ones being claimed by the candidates and not tallying with the one issued by the APC officials at the venue were fraudulent.
Yesterday additional individuals joined the protests also asking on the National Secretariat of the party to step in.
Former Speaker of Kaduna protests
A former speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and senatorial hopeful for Kaduna Central, Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani, has disputed the conclusion of the process, arguing that there was no genuine primary election across the zone.
The Zailani campaign council told journalists yesterday that the procedure was not transparent, faulty and did not match the standards set by the APC.
Bauchi Senator won’t stomach it
Senatorial aspirant in Bauchi South Senatorial District, Abdulmumin Kundak has also complained that there was no genuine primary poll in the district.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday in Bauchi, Kundak said there was no proof of any primary election having taken place in the entire senatorial district.
Arise rises in Ekiti in protest
Another contestant from Ekiti, Sen Ayo Arise has challenged the results of the primary claiming it does not reflect what transpired in the wards of Ekiti North.
He said he won the Ekiti North Senatorial District primary held on Monday with 8,687 votes to beat the incumbent senator Cyril Fasuyi who polled 7,755 votes.
Cross Rivers aspirants enter race
The Senator representing the Cross River central senatorial district, Sen. Eteng Jones Williams and the former APC national women’s leader, Ms Mary Ekpere have separately asked their supporters and party members to disregard the APC Central Senatorial District results being circulated in Cross Rivers State.
Both of them stated that there was no primary in all the 66 wards in the district.
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