The three All Progressives Congress senators in Niger State have rejected the outcome of the party’s senatorial primaries conducted in the state, describing the exercise as a disgrace to democracy.
The Senate spokesperson, Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North), David Umoru (Niger East), and Mustapha Sani (Niger South) all failed in the their bid to secure the party’s ticket to return to the upper chamber of the National Assembly following their defeat at the primaries.
Reacting to the outcome of the exercise, the senators condemned the primaries, saying they were characterised by irregularities and manipulation by the party hierarchy in the state to favour certain aspirants.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary and Human Right, Senator David Umoru, told said that the result of the primary in his senatorial district was a “sham and a charade.”
Umoru particularly accused the State Working Committee of the party of skewing the election and rigging it in favour of a particular candidate, expressing concern with the alleged electoral fraud committed in the state.
He stated, “Our party primary was marred by irregularities, violence, intimidation and vote buying. This poses a great danger to the chances of our party in 2019.
“Thugs beat up and chased away my supporters and disrupted voting. In many cases, elections were not conducted but results were manufactured and announced. This is a shame to the APC and I condemn it in all ramifications.”
In his reaction, Abdullahi also noted that the current impunity and vote buying that characterised elections in recent times posed a great threat to the country and democracy if not checked before the 2019 polls.
“The party may be heading for self destruction in 2019 if the impunity in the party is allowed to continue. The party is now neck deep in what it had accused the opposition PDP of doing,” Abdullahi stated.
Sani equally condemned the outcome of the primary, stressing that the APC leadership had disgraced itself by acting contrary to what it preached.
He said, “What transpired in the senatorial primary is worse than corruption. It is a disaster of the highest order that will take us nowhere, politically.
“This is not an election but selection; it is a disgrace to the APC as a party. The outcome must not be allowed to stand if the party must thrive in the 2019 general elections.”
The senators called on the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to quickly intervene “before strangers would destroy the party which was formed on the principles of equity, justice and fairness.”