We won’t feature in new primaries – Taraba APC guber aspirants

Some aggrieved Taraba All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants, say they have chosen to boycott the party’s Feb.10 rerun primaries because it is against the supreme court judgement.

Sen. Yusuf Yusuf, the Spokesperson for the aspirants said this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.

Yusuf, who represents Taraba Central at the National Assembly said the planned rerun was in contrast to the apex court ruling.

“For the purpose of refreshing our memories, the race to clinch the APC governorship ticket started in 2022 with seven aspirants who obtained the party‘s expression of interest and nomination forms.

“On the day of the primaries, while all aspirants and delegates had an unresolved meeting at Shield Hotel Jalingo, for security concerns.

“The chairman of the committee Mr Lawrence Onochukwu was taken to the police headquarters in Jalingo for safety,” he said.

He added that on seeing photos of fake direct primary election in the social media, Onochukwu granted a news conference that he never authorise any primaries.

He said that the election would hold the next day after sorting out all the issues.

Yusuf added that to the surprise of other aspirants, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha was announced as winner of the governorship primaries that were never held.

“After sorting out all the internal mechanisms within the party to arrest the situation, no effort was made by its leadership to do the right thing.

“Hence the need for legal action against the party and the acclaimed winner of the primaries Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha.

“The Legal action ended at the apex court and we were vindicated that truly there were no gubernatorial primaries in Taraba APC,” Yusuf said.

He said that before the case got to the Supreme Court, one of the six aspirants left the APC for New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) due to lack of internal democracy.

He said the remaining five aspirants decided not to leave the APC for intruders, but to stay and fight for their right and to protect democracy.

“Following the Supreme Court judgement of Feb. 1, that voided the purported governorship primaries that produced Bwacha.

“The party National working Committee(NWC) under the leadership of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu did not convene any meeting with the aspirants whether physically or virtually for any briefing.

“Rather, a text message was sent to us the aspirants, today Feb. 9, followed by social media reports that a primary election is scheduled to hold at Mumuye Hall, Mile 6 Jalingo tomorrow Feb. 10.

“This is a total and flagrant disobedience to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of David Sabo Kente vs Sen Emmanuel Bwacha,” Yusuf said.

He added that for the avoidance of doubt, the apex court did not at any time order for another primaries after it voided the acclaimed primaries that alledgly produced Bwacha.

Yusuf said the apex court granted all the reliefs sought in the trial court by David Kente except for rerun primaries within 14 days.

“As law abiding Nigerians and loyal party men, we are telling the whole world that we will not be part of the illegal primary election as scheduled by the APC Adamu-led NWC,”he said.

This, he said, was especially because the primaries as scheduled by the NWC was in total violation of the supreme court judgement as delivered unanimously by the five panel of justices.

He wondered why the other aspirants were not being carried along by the party chairman in every processe that would legitimately enthrone due process and internal democracy.

Yusuf said the APC NWC should be aware of the pending judgement in a case between him and Bwacha that had been slated to be delivered by the apex court on Feb. 13.

“Once again we want to let all party faithful to know that whatever illegality that is about to be perpetuated at Mumuye hall Jalingo tomorrow will be challenged in competent courts of our land,” Yusuf said.