Sen. Shehu Buba (APC – Bauchi South), has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship primary election in the state.
This is contained in a statement by the aspirant’s media aide, Sabo Mohammed, on Wednesday in Bauchi.
Buba, a major contender of the ticket, withdrew from the race over alleged violation of the 1999 constitution, the Electoral Act, the APC constitution and the party’s electoral guidelines.
Buba alleged that the party in the state had been engrossed in a leadership crisis involving key positions within the state executive committee, including the offices of the secretary and organising secretary.
He said the crisis which characterised the ward, local government and state congresses continued to affect the party’s internal processes in spite of efforts to resolve it amicably.
The aspirant said that some party officials had compromised the integrity of the primaries and announced predetermined results without conducting the exercise at designated venues.
“The party officials have practically been hijacked by persons who do not mean well for the party. No real election had taken place in several instances since the commencement of the primaries on May 16,” Buba said in the statement.
Buba further demanded for clarification on the identities of electoral officials, designated voting venues, collation centres and procedures for the distribution of election materials for the governorship primaries.
He said that such information had not been made available to aspirants except to the “prearranged winners.”
The aspirant said the APC constitution promotes internal democracy, discipline and adherence to the rule of law, adding that the conduct of the primaries fell short of those ideals.
While commending President Bola Tinubu for purposeful leadership of the party and the country, Buba pledged continued support to the party, and urged his supporters to remain calm.
“Democracy cannot flourish on the whims and caprices of a select few, the electoral laws and party guidelines must be obeyed to safeguard the integrity of the democratic process,” he said.
