PLATEAU APC PRIMARIES LITMUS TEST OF CHANGE: The All Progressive Congress, APC held its gubernatorial primaries nation wide on the 4th December 2014. In Plateau State it was conducted at Crest Hotel Old airport road Jos. There were initially four contenders but on the eve of the primaries the fifth one surfaced. Although his sudden appearance was greeted by mixed reactions the electoral committee later accepted him as an aspirant after pressure was mounted from Abuja. The aspirant bought the form there and was screened and cleared immediately within minutes. Accreditation of delegates commenced around 6.00pm while voting commenced at about 8.00pm without the normal ceremony of aspirants addressing the delegates before voting commences. One of the Aspirants Prof Emmanuel Garba arrived the voting venue which took place in a hall but he was prevented by the Electoral Committee from going into the venue. Later I arrived and was also barred from entering into the voting hall. I inquired from my men whether my poster was displayed in the hall as required by the guidelines but i discovered it was not there. I then asked one of them to taken it to my agent to place but he was also ordered away. Between 10.00 to 10.30 pm or there about, while sitting outside, I saw a vehicle accompanied by five police men drove into the election ground. Thereafter, there was votes buying and selling at the rate of #10,000 per delegate. There was approximately over #30 million in the vehicle been shared by one of the aspirants and his coordinators. This went on till late into the night while voting lasted. The entire election ground was converted into a mini trade fair. I left around midnight when the environment became unbearably cold. This act is highly prohibited by the electoral guideline. In the morning around 6am on the 5th December 2015, the doors of the hall was flanked opened and the general public were invited where the Chairman of the electoral committee read out some figures attributing it the status of results. In fact he had problem with reconciling them until he has to fall back on the audience which led to debate between them. He later declared a winner, thereafter, people dispersed. He did not issue the agents with results of the election on official APC results sheet. Up till the time of this writing, I have not been given the result sheet and had confined from Prof Emmanuel Garba that he has not been issued with any. Even the declared winner was not given any as I confirmed from him when he visited me. I told him I have no problem with him but have grievances with our collective desire to effect change as reflected in the process. The entire electoral process was a serious violation of the guidelines. Also worrisome is the fact that an election meant to determine the fate of aspirants was conducted in their absence without even their posters displayed there. Of concern to me is the physical votes buying which was supritendented by party leaders and an aspirant. If we are professing change but doing what those we seek to change do not do then we are worst than them. I have no problem with using money to influence votes if that is the political strategy of a person, but bringing it to the election ground? Even in the PDP, this is unheard of but it was displayed with wreck less impunity. In every electoral process its natural that there is always a winner and a loser but where the process is not transparent and contravened minimum tenets of democracy it will be unacceptable. We have rejected the process as not in compliance with the guidelines especially when we were denied access to the voting venue. Personally I did not even see the ballot box or the colour of the ballot papers. Can it be said that it was an election that I have vested interest and I cannot even witness how I was defeated of won? If posters of aspirants were disallowed to be display in the hall can there be said to be voting? These and other legal questions add up to raises serious validity on the election which has been challenged to the Appeal Committee. This development has emboldened me to the magnitude of challenges change is facing in Nigeria. Ordinarily I should have been bitter when it is said I lost but contrary is the case. Iam rather strengthen to keep on struggling until a better society is attained. My mission in life is to midwife ideas that will ultimately liberate the voiceless majority from the shackles of hunger and abject poverty. As a catalyst of change I am ever committed than before. Its is said in Hausa an buga Kura a Kai an kara mata karfi meaning if you strike a hyena on the head you have rather strengthen it. We shall remain committed to prosecuting war against injustice with zeal but we cannot compromise our passion for equity. We dont accept that indeed there was an election but if there was any then it was not valid. There are other grounds which are technical and not consumable. Its our desire that party will do justice to these issues and not just appealed to us to let go after all you cannot ride on a horse of injustice in search of justice. via SOLOMON DALUN FUNDATION
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 08:10:11 +0000
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