Confusion trails Kaduna APC Central Senatorial primary election

Noah Ebije, Kaduna

There was confusion, on Saturday, in the conduct of All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial primaries in Kaduna central zone, after the National Working Committee had earlier, on Tuesday, last week, affirmed the automatic ticket of Sen. Shehu Sani to fly the party’s flag during the 2019 elections.

But Shehu Sani’s arch rival in the election, Uba Sani, who is the Special Adviser on Political Matters to Governor Nasir el-Rufai, had gone to court to stop the Senator because he (Uba Sani) was not cleared by the National Working Committee to contest the election as at last week.

Unconfirmed report said that before the fresh primaries, on Saturday, Uba Sani allegedly withdrew the case he filed against the Party and the Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, at the Kaduna High Court, last Friday.

However, following a meeting between Governor el-Rufai and President Muhammadu Buhari in resolving the issue of the automatic ticket, a team of APC Senatorial Committee, led by Prof. Eddy Floyd, arrived Kaduna to conduct the election along with the House of Representatives primaries in the state.

Shehu Sani, however, did not participate in the said party primaries.

A statement issued by Sen. Sani’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Abdulsamad Chima Amadi said, “We wish to inform the general public that Sen Shehu Sani is not part of, and is not participating in a purported Kaduna central APC senatorial primaries.

“The office of Senator Shehu Sani has not, and will not send anybody as their representative or agent to that illegality that some desperate people are organising.

“This is because the national leadership of the APC has not scheduled any senatorial primaries in kaduna central today (Saturday).

“Consequently, anybody that goes there does so at his or her own freewill and does not in any way represent the interest of Sen. Shehu Sani.

“The Senator and his team are law abiding citizen and loyal party members who will always obey the directives of the National leadership of our great party.”

In his own statement, Uba Sani, said. “The last few days have been trying. These are moments that have tested our resolve and fidelity to democratic values.

“The unlawful exclusion of myself and others aspirants from the list of those cleared to participate in the senatorial primaries for Kaduna Central shocked and disappointed us.

“Together with our party members, we protested the unlawful attempt to foist one candidate on our Senatorial District without a democratic contest.

“Today, our party, the APC, has upheld the tenets of inclusion and has insisted on democratic primaries as the mode of selecting its candidates for the 2019 general elections. We welcome this fresh embrace of democratic tenets.”