More aspirants vying for Senate tickets of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected the outcome of the primaries in their various constituencies vowing to take their grievances to the national secretariat of the party for resolution.
Our correspondents report that no less than 10 aspirants across the states have refused to accept the result of the primaries insisting that the processes were marred by irregularities.
The APC held its senatorial primaries between Monday and Tuesday but the exercise ended in protests with many of the aspirants withdrawing from the race due to alleged imposition while others disagreed with the processes, reports Daily Trust.
Our correspondents report that many of the aspirants have refused all entreaties for them to accept the outcomes of the exercise in their various states and have remained threatening to escalate the matter further by storming the national secretariat of the party in protest.
A reliable source at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja however said the party has frowned at the idea of bringing grievances to the national body when there are mechanisms within the state to address such issues.
He said an appeal committee has been set up to receive complaints arising from all the categories of the primaries.
He confirmed that some of the aggrieved aspirants, especially those for senatorial and House of Representatives ticket had called the national headquarters to complain but were refereed back to appeal committees in their respected states.
He said the committees are expected to act on the complaints, adding that in a situation where they cannot resolve a case, such will now be refereed to the party’s leadership.
Reports from our correspondents indicate that even as at yesterday, the issues could not be resolved in many of the states.
The party source said the electoral committee in charge of each of the primaries are empowered to announce the result at the venue of the exercise.
He, however, said that those being claimed by the candidates that do not tally with the one released by the APC officials at the venue are fake.
Yesterday, more people joined in protesting also calling on the National Secretariat of the party to step in.
Kaduna ex-Speaker protests
Former Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and Kaduna Central senatorial aspirant, Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani, who rejected the outcome of the exercise insisting that no valid primary election was conducted across the zone.
Addressing journalists yesterday, Zailani’s campaign council alleged that the process was flawed, non-transparent and does not meet the standards set by the APC.
Bauchi Senator won’t take it
A senatorial aspirant in Bauchi South Senatorial District, Abdulmumin Kundak, has also alleged that no valid primary election was conducted in the district.
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Bauchi, Kundak insisted that there was no evidence that any primary election took place across the senatorial district.
Arise rises in protest in Ekiti
Another aspirant from Ekiti Sen Ayo Arise, has rejected the results of the primary saying it does not reflect what happened in the wards of Ekiti North.
He declared that he won the Ekiti North Senatorial District primary held on Monday with 8,687 votes, defeating the incumbent senator Cyril Fasuyi, who had 7,755 votes.
Cross Rivers aspirants join the fray
In Cross Rivers State, the Senator representing Cross River central senatorial district, Sen. Eteng Jones Williams and former APC national women’s leader, Ms Mary Ekpere separately called on their supporters and party members to discard the APC Central Senatorial District results as circulated.
Both have insisted that there was no primary election in all the 66 wards of the district.
