The Coordinator and Collation Officer for the All Progressives Congress presidential primary election in Bauchi State, Ali Pate, has urged winners of the party’s just concluded primaries to reconcile with aggrieved contestants and promote unity within the party.
Pate, who is also the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, made the call on Saturday in Bauchi while announcing the results of the APC presidential primary election in the state.
According to him, politics is centred on participation and competition, noting that while some aspirants emerge victorious, others may not succeed but still have a role to play in strengthening the party.
“Politics is about participation and competition. When you compete, you can win or you may not win. I have contested before — not once, not twice, not three times, four times — and I was not successful in those elections,” he said.
He urged party members who failed to secure tickets to remain committed to the APC, stressing that elective office was only one avenue of service and that the party had other ways of rewarding loyalty and contributions.
“We have asked all members at all levels to reach out to those who participated with them and try to reconcile, show respect to each other and come together as one family,” he stated.
Pate warned against actions driven by anger or disappointment, saying power should be viewed as a means to serve society rather than an end in itself.
“If you don’t get it today, you can support whoever gets it, and you may get another opportunity in the future. The attitude of saying ‘if I don’t get it, then nobody should get it’ will only make society suffer,” he added.
He maintained that the APC remained an inclusive platform and disclosed that efforts were ongoing to heal wounds arising from the primary process.
“We have reached out to the aspirants who did not succeed and will continue to engage them to find ways to accommodate them. APC is an inclusive party. There is no limit to how far we will go to keep APC strong and united in Bauchi,” Pate said.
Earlier, Pate announced President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the APC presidential primary election in Bauchi State, polling 156,541 votes to defeat his lone challenger, Stanley Osifo, who secured 2,650 votes.
He said the exercise was conducted successfully through a direct primary process involving party members across the ward, local government and state levels.
According to him, 178,414 registered APC members were eligible to participate in the election conducted across the 20 local government areas of the state.
Pate explained that voting took place across political wards, with results collated from the ward level through the local governments before the final state collation.
“At the end of the direct primary election, Bola Tinubu received 156,541 votes, while the second candidate, Mr Stanley Osifo, received 2,650 votes.
“The total number of votes cast is 159,191. This is the result of the direct primaries conducted in Bauchi State for the presidential candidacy of the APC,” he said.
He added that, as the state collation officer, he would transmit the results to the party’s National Collation Centre in Abuja.
Pate commended members of the election committee, security agencies, party stakeholders, supporters and the media for ensuring a peaceful exercise.
He specifically acknowledged the contributions of the police, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the party leadership, as well as the women and youth wings.
Expressing confidence in the party’s electoral prospects, Pate said the APC remained optimistic about securing victories in future elections.
“We are confident that at all levels, we will win — governor, National Assembly and State Assembly. We will continue to move in that direction,” he said.
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