Katsina APC Aspirant Alleges Primary Election Manipulation

An aspirant for the All Progressives Congress ticket for the Mani/Bindawa Federal Constituency in Katsina State, Ahmed Saleh, on Saturday, alleged that his mandate was “stolen” despite emerging as the consensus candidate during consultations conducted by party stakeholders.

Saleh, who spoke in an interview with journalists in Mani after the primary process, claimed he was twice endorsed by stakeholders from Mani and Bindawa local government areas before the ticket was eventually handed to another aspirant, Hajiya Jamila Abdu-Mani.

According to him, the APC in Katsina State initially adopted the consensus method for selecting candidates ahead of the elections.

“I was one of the aspirants who contested for the seat of the House of Representatives to represent the good people of Mani/Bindawa Federal Constituency.

“During the first consensus, stakeholders from the two local government areas unanimously endorsed me as their consensus candidate.

“The state governor congratulated me, the state government congratulated me, well-wishers and party faithful congratulated me. As a matter of fact, the Government House press corps published my name and congratulated me,” he claimed.

Saleh, however, alleged that some aggrieved aspirants later petitioned Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, accusing stakeholders of excluding them from the process and alleging that he induced stakeholders financially.

“They lied against the stakeholders and alleged that I bribed them with money. But in reality, I did not give anybody a farthing,” he said.

According to him, Governor Radda subsequently directed the consensus committee to conduct another exercise in the presence of all aspirants.

He explained that during the second exercise, stakeholders openly voted by raising their hands in support of aspirants.

“When my name was mentioned, 25 out of the 27 stakeholders raised their hands in my support. The remaining two were absent due to other engagements. That was how I was again unanimously endorsed,” he stated.

Saleh alleged that despite emerging victorious for the second time, the outcome was later overturned.

“Very few minutes before Friday prayers, His Excellency handed the ticket, which I won, to Jamila Mani, who got zero votes during the first and second consensus,” he alleged.

The APC aspirant further claimed that he was placed under house arrest and detained by security operatives on the day scheduled for the direct primary election.

“The operatives of the Department of State Services came and arrested me on the instructions of the governor. I was detained and denied my civil rights to participate in the primaries,” he alleged.

He also dismissed the direct primary election that eventually produced the candidate, insisting that no genuine voting process took place.

“There was no primary election in Mani/Bindawa as far as I am concerned. They just picked a few individuals and announced that the governor’s anointed candidate scored 20,000 votes, whereas the venue could not even contain 100 people,” he said.

Despite his grievances, Saleh pledged loyalty to the APC and said he would abide by decisions taken by a reconciliation committee headed by former Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari.

“I am a law-abiding citizen, a loyal party member and I will remain in the APC. I will continue contributing to the growth and development of the party,” he stated.

He, however, questioned Governor Radda’s actions, describing them as unfair.

“Could this be a reward for loyalty? Why insist on handing the ticket to someone who, in my view, contributed little to the development of the party in our constituency?” he asked.

Saleh further described the development as “a broad daylight robbery” and “political banditry” of his mandate.

Meanwhile, the governor’s director-general of media, Maiwada Dammalla, has dismissed allegations linking the governor to the reported arrest and detention of an aggrieved aspirant by the Department of State Services (DSS), insisting that governors have no constitutional powers over security agencies.

Reacting to the allegation on Saturday, the aide told journalists that it was illogical to accuse Governor Radda of ordering the DSS to arrest or detain anyone.

According to him, “Governors are not constitutionally empowered to exercise authority over security agencies, the DSS in this regard. It defies logic therefore for the aggrieved aspirant to accuse His Excellency, Governor Radda, of his purported arrest or detention by the DSS.

“The DSS is a federal government agency with statutory responsibility for enforcing law and order in the country. Part of the agency’s job description is to investigate and respond to issues assessed to be potentially threatening to the peace and tranquillity of the country either in part or as a whole.

“Although governors are the chief security officers in their states, this should not be confused with running the daily affairs of the DSS or any security agency. It is not the purview of state governors to order the DSS to do their bidding,” Maiwada said.

The aide maintained that only the DSS could provide details surrounding the alleged arrest and urged journalists to seek clarification directly from the security agency and the complainant.

“The DSS is in the best position to confirm the circumstances as well as the facts of the purported arrest for appropriate action where and if necessary.

“Rather than amplify the allegations of the aggrieved aspirant, it makes better sense for journalists to first ask the aggrieved why he was arrested. This may probably solve the puzzle,” the aide added.