A GOVERNORSHIP aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Jigawa State, Hon. Bashir Adamu, popularly known as Matawallen Kazaure, has petitioned the party’s State Election Appeal Committee, seeking a review of the conduct and outcome of the party’s governorship primary election in the state.
In a petition personally signed by the aspirant and obtained by journalists, Bashir alleged that the entire primary election process was riddled with irregularities, violations of party guidelines and undue interference by party officials.
The former federal lawmaker accused key stakeholders within the party of compromising the integrity of the exercise and called on the Appeal Committee to nullify the election and order a fresh primary.
According to the petition, the chairman of the primary election committee allegedly breached the party’s regulations by acting on directives from the State Executive Committee, thereby abandoning the neutrality expected of his office.
Bashir further claimed that the committee chairman eventually declared the party’s governorship candidate under duress.
The petitioner alleged that the State Executive Committee was compromised and worked actively to ensure the emergence of another aspirant, Sabo Nagudu, as the party’s candidate.
He contended that state and local government party officials openly backed Nagudu’s candidacy and were entrusted with election materials, a development he said created room for manipulation of the electoral process.
Bashir, who described himself as one of the key figures behind the growth of the ADC in Jigawa State and the establishment of its structures across the state’s 27 local government areas, argued that party officials abandoned impartiality and instead worked to secure victory for his rival.
The aspirant also alleged that officials responsible for distributing election materials deliberately delayed their delivery, particularly in the North-West Senatorial District.
According to him, the materials arrived late at night after party members had waited for several hours without being accredited to vote.
He claimed that the prolonged delay frustrated many eligible voters, forcing them to leave the venue before the commencement of voting.
The petition further alleged that political thugs loyal to his opponent exploited the situation by snatching election materials and fabricating results in favour of their preferred candidate.
Bashir also accused some individuals of engaging in violence, intimidation and acts of thuggery that allegedly disrupted the conduct of the primary election in several parts of the state.
He noted that the level of disruption was such that the chairman of the electoral committee reportedly announced the cancellation of the exercise in four local government areas.
According to the aspirant, the developments rendered the primary election inconclusive and undermined the credibility of the process.
He condemned what he described as intimidation of party members seeking to exercise their democratic rights.
“Such acts of thuggery undermine the democratic process and infringe upon the rights of party members,” the petition stated.
Bashir also challenged the legitimacy of the results announced by the State Executive Committee, insisting that only the duly constituted Primary Election Committee possessed the authority to declare the outcome of the exercise.
He argued that the conduct of the primary violated both the party’s internal guidelines and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The aspirant consequently urged the State Election Appeal Committee to set aside the results and order a fresh governorship primary that would guarantee transparency, fairness and credibility.
Despite his grievances, Bashir reaffirmed his loyalty to the African Democratic Congress and expressed confidence that the party would ensure justice by thoroughly investigating the issues raised in his petition.
Political observers say the petition could trigger fresh scrutiny of the ADC’s governorship primary in Jigawa State as party leaders move to resolve the dispute ahead of the next phase of the electoral process.