APC Senator Rejects Niger North Senatorial Primary Election Result

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Abdullahi Aliyu Sabi, has rejected the results of the Niger North Senatorial Primaries that was won by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and alleged that the entire process was “compromised.”

Sabi, therefore, petitioned the APC Legislative Appeal Committee for Niger State for the election to be canceled and fresh one conducted.

Governor Sani Bello was declared winner with 334 delegate votes while Senator Sabi garnered seven votes.

He alleged in the petition that there was no voting at all even though the electoral committee returned Governor Abubakar Sani Bello as “duly elected.”

According to the petition “we are fully aware that Hon. Abdullahi Idris Garba held in his residence delegates who were to vote in the primary election against their will. Their phones were seized and switched off.

“These delegates were intimidated, harassed and threatened by the governor’s security details and were forced to fill ballots in favour of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello.”

Sabi further alleged in the petition that “honestly, Abdullahi Idris Garba constituted himself into an election umpire and turned his residence situated at Maigari Godabe Road, Opposite Safara Annex Kontagora, into delegates’ verification and accreditation center for the election.

“This made it impossible for other delegates they perceived not to be doing their bidding to be accredited,” adding that the illegal act was a clear contravention of sections 115(1)(a)and 119(1)(e) and (f) of the Electoral Act.

In addition, the petitioner claimed that “the residence played host to the State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of the State Security, Niger State, and all other state government functionaries in a deliberate show of force over the delegates.”

He, therefore, called for the cancellation of the primary election which he claimed was heavily manipulated called for the conduct of  “a legal, free and fair primary election where the will of the people will not be coerced nor manipulated but freely conducted in line with the party’s guidelines and procedures.”

All efforts to get the reactions of the Election Appeal Committee Chairman, Dr. Ray Murphy were abortive.