From Jibrin Zaria
Information circulating within Kaduna state indicates that a week ahead of the Party congress, the All Progressive Congress (APC) party leadership, in leage with the state government, has allegedly handpicked five delegates from every ward of the 23 local governments in the state.
Thus making the number of delegates, to be allegedly used for the government’s preferred candidate to be 1275 delegates.
A political analyst Yusuf Ibrahim Gambo in an interview with newsmen disclosed that “sources close to the state government indicated that, thy government has concluded arrangements to undermine internal party democracy to favour its preferred candidate for the gubernatorial primary election”.
The source according to Gambo also alleged that, at the head of the collectives running the hoax, is the Secretary to the State Government ( SSG), Balarabe Abbas.
According to Gambo, “what is more curious about the likely crisis that will erupt if this information is legit, is the allegation that this undemocratic move had got the approval of the National leadership of the party in Abuja and, that a substantial amount has been allegedly disbursed to support the scheme”.
Another source has independently drew the attention to a speculation that even members of the primary election appeal committee are allegedly being handpicked from the office of Governor Nasiru El-Rufa’i and that they are all leading members of the Senator Uba Sani campaign directorate, the Governor’s preferred candidate.
It was further alleged that in a meeting , the party leadership had unilaterally decided to jettison the statutory scheme of delegates selection replacing it with a scheme in which the process of selecting delegates is now placed under the caprices of some collectives within the state government and state party leadership.
A source privy to the scheme explained that the whole scheme is to ensure that the candidate that will emerge at the primary election is one who will effectively cover up the Governor’s trails especially his footprints in the colossal amount of debt he took on behalf of the state which, according to the source, he allegedly mismanaged and squandered.
The source further alleged that part of this loan is now set aside to be used in manipulating the election and dispelling any opposition against the dangerous scheme.
A leading member of the collectives designing this scheme is already bursting about this.
Yusuf Gambo alledged that considering the extent to which the general electorate are opposed to the harsh policies of Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i, any candidate that could be seen as picked by the Governor will surely mean an easy sail to capturing power by the PDP in the state.
“In view of the likely consequences of this undemocratic move, we call on the national party leadership of our great party, the APC to, as a matter of urgency, intervene to avert the crisis that this move will cause the party and it’s success in the general election.” He said.
