By Our Correspondent
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Governor Uba Sani in Kaduna State, recently mobilized a large crowd of supporters from across 23 LGAs to Murtala Square, signaling the kickoff of their campaign ahead of the October 19th local government council elections.
The supporters, dressed in customized T-shirts, hijabs, and waving flags and placards bearing the Uba Sani Support Group insignia, flooded the Murtala Square premises and surrounding roads.
However, aggrieved party members who spoke to our correspondent in confidence lamented that all the candidates for the LG council elections were nominated and handpicked by the Uba Sani-led APC without conducting any primaries.
According to several disgruntled party supporters and officials, the APC also paid for the “nomination forms” of the candidates directly into a private bank account, distinct from the state party’s official account.
Earlier, in August 2024, a three-day screening of candidates contesting for the 23 local government councils within the APC was characterized by complaints and alleged constitutional breaches. For instance, the Chairman of the State Working Committee (SWC) screening committee was the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Alhaji Dahiru Liman, which contravenes the party’s constitution as amended on March 26, 2022.
The Speaker, addressing newsmen shortly after the screening concluded, claimed that the exercise witnessed a good turnout and was successfully completed. He expressed optimism that all those screened were qualified to contest in the upcoming elections and urged the numerous councillorship candidates to conduct clean campaigns and remain law-abiding.
In an interview with one of the candidates, Hon. Mrs. Shebakura Ura from Dora Ward in Jaba Local Government Area, she expressed her delight and appreciation to the committee and party leadership for the smooth conduct of the screening exercise.
Nevertheless, the process was marred by complaints, as both male and female aspirants for chairmanship and councillorship positions reported that the process was fraught with malpractice, alleging that candidates were selected (handpicked) rather than elected as prescribed by the party’s constitution.
A high-ranking APC stalwart, speaking anonymously, confirmed the allegations and revealed that Articles 13.8(vii) and 20.1-4 of the party constitution were violated, as the process lacked credibility and internal democracy.
According to this insider source, a new bank account was opened, and the funds from the sale of nomination forms and other financial incomes were directed into this account, violating Article 13.8(ii) of the party’s constitution.
Efforts to reach party officials for comments on the alleged constitutional breaches were unsuccessful, as they could not be contacted due to protocol issues and failure to respond to calls or SMS messages.
The APC constitution, as amended on March 26, 2022, clearly outlines the procedures, particularly in Articles 13.8(vii) and 20:1-4 regarding the composition of the SWC.
Additionally, a victim of the APC who spoke to our correspondent in confidence noted that the party’s State Working Committee neither met nor approved the establishment of any committee as claimed by the state party.
“Even the person (Salisu Wusono, publicity secretary) purported to have signed that release did not know anything about it,” the source revealed.
However, a statement obtained by our correspondent through aggrieved party members indicated that the party’s SWC had approved the appointment of 25 individuals to serve as members of the elections committee.
The statement, purportedly signed by Publicity Secretary Salisu Tanko Wusonu, was later confirmed to have been authored by the State Secretary of the party. It read in part: “Following the release of guidelines and the Election Timetable by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM) for the conduct of the 2024 Local Government Council Elections, the State Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in exercise of its powers as provided in Article 20:1-4 of the party Constitution (as amended), has approved the appointment of the following esteemed individuals to serve as members of the Elections Committee…”
The statement then listed the appointees, asserting that they were selected based on their outstanding track records, unwavering integrity, and dedication to the party’s principles.
“The party is confident that their wealth of experience and unblemished reputations will greatly contribute to the success of this important task. The All Progressives Congress (APC) expects the newly appointed members of the Elections Committee to leverage their experience to ensure smooth primary elections and success in the general elections,” it concluded.
When contacted regarding his role, Hon. Wusonu clarified that he is the state party’s secretary, not the publicity secretary, stating, “Hi, it’s State Secretary, sir” in response.
