A governorship aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Jigawa State, Hon. Bashir Adamu (Matawallen Kazaure), has formally petitioned the party’s State Election Appeal Committee, seeking a review of the recently conducted governorship primary election.
In the petition, personally signed by the aspirant and obtained by journalists, Bashir Adamu alleged that the primary was marred by widespread irregularities, breaches of party rules, and undue influence by party officials.
He accused the chairman of the primary election committee of abandoning neutrality and acting on instructions from the State Executive Committee, contrary to party regulations.
According to him, the chairman eventually announced the party’s candidate under pressure.
The former federal lawmaker further alleged that the State Executive Committee was biased and worked to secure the emergence of another aspirant, Sabo Nagudu, as the party’s governorship candidate.
Bashir claimed that, having played a central role in building the ADC structure across all 27 local government areas of Jigawa State, he was disappointed that state and local party officials allegedly mobilised support for his opponent and were entrusted with election materials, thereby creating room for manipulation.
He also alleged that officials responsible for distributing election materials deliberately delayed their delivery, particularly in the North-West Senatorial District.
The delay, he said, resulted in materials arriving late at night after many party members had waited for hours for accreditation. According to the petition, the prolonged delay forced many eligible voters to leave before voting commenced.
Bashir further claimed that political thugs loyal to his rival exploited the situation by seizing election materials and fabricating results in favour of their preferred candidate.
The petitioner also cited incidents of violence, intimidation, and thuggery in several parts of the state, which disrupted the exercise. He noted that the electoral committee chairman cancelled the election in four local government areas due to the disturbances.
Bashir argued that the disruptions rendered the exercise inconclusive and condemned what he described as attempts to intimidate party members from exercising their democratic rights.
He also questioned the validity of the results announced by the State Executive Committee, insisting that only the duly constituted Primary Election Committee had the authority to declare the outcome of the election.
Consequently, he urged the Appeal Committee to nullify the primary election and order a fresh poll, arguing that the process violated both ADC guidelines and provisions of the Electoral Act.
Despite his grievances, Bashir reaffirmed his loyalty to the ADC and expressed confidence that the party would fairly consider the issues raised in his petition.
