Aspirant petitions PDP over Gombe South senatorial primary

An aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Gombe South Senatorial District in the just concluded primaries, Hajiya Binta Bello, has rejected the result of the election which held on Sunday 22, May 2022 in Billiri Local Government Area.

In a petition she addressed to the electoral appeal panel, a copy obtained by Daylight Reporters, Binta, a former member of the house of representative who represents Kaltungo and Shongom federal constituency, said her rejection of the election outcome was due to the alleged reappearance of the names of dead and disqualified delegates on the delegate’s lists.

According to her, 120 delegates were earlier accredited as state delegates and four as national delegates.

She alleged that of the 120 state delegates, one of them, Salisu Dankyau, died before the primary election, but someone voted on his behalf during the primaries in favour of her rival Anthony Siyako, who defeated her with two votes.

She further alleged that another person, Donatus Ishaya, who is a civil servant, was disqualified as delegate, but Anthony’s coordinator, Aminu Gonsis, voted on his behalf, despite her protest against voting by proxy.

“That one Umar Ali of Mona ward, a physically-challenged, whose name did not feature on the list of delegates of any ward in Gombe South or the special four other delegates for the said election or under any specially considered class, voted  despite my protest, especially that the said Umar is popular supporter of my opponent Anthony Siyako,” she alleged.

Buttressing her points, Binta said the party constitution demanded that in each ward, there should be at least one female among the delegates, alleging, however, that in some wards like Ture in Kaltungo Local Government Area, Baganje North and Tanglang wards of Billiri Local Government Area, have all male delegates, in contravention of the provision of the party’s constitution.

Recall that the pronounced winner of the election, Anthony Yaro, was reported to have been arrested alongside the former Zamfara State governor and Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Zamfara North Senatorial District in connection with the ongoing investigation of the suspended accountant General of the Federation over missing ₦90b and ₦80b.