An aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency seat in Bauchi State, Godfrey Manasseh Marti, has rejected the outcome of the party’s primary election held on Sunday, insisting that no credible exercise took place in the constituency.
Marti made his position known on Monday during a press briefing held in reaction to the results announced by the chairman of the electoral committee, Ali Ibrahim.
Speaking under the theme “Unlawful Denial of Right to Participate in the PDP Primary for Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency,” Marti said he was unjustly excluded despite meeting all requirements to contest.
According to him, he duly purchased nomination and expression of interest forms, submitted all necessary documents, and paid the required fees within the stipulated timeline. However, he alleged that his name was removed from the list of cleared aspirants without explanation.
“I fulfilled all constitutional and party requirements to contest. Yet my name was arbitrarily excluded from the final list of cleared aspirants,” he said.
Marti further claimed that no screening report was issued to justify his exclusion, describing the development as a breach of the PDP Constitution, the party’s electoral guidelines, and provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) guaranteeing political participation.
He also alleged that the process reflects a broader pattern of exclusion in the constituency and called for reforms to ensure fairness and internal democracy.
The aspirant demanded an immediate reversal of his exclusion and urged the PDP leadership to reinstate him as a cleared contestant.
He also called for an independent investigation by the PDP National Working Committee into the screening and clearance process for the constituency.
Marti appealed to the party’s national leadership, including the National Working Committee (NWC), the Bauchi State PDP leadership, and the Board of Trustees, to urgently intervene, warning that unresolved grievances could undermine confidence in the party’s internal processes.
He reaffirmed his loyalty to the PDP, stressing that his concerns were aimed at strengthening the party rather than weakening it.
“This is not a fight against the party, but for the party. If we abandon our own rules, we lose the moral authority to lead,” he added.
