Aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi and Rivers states have accused party leaders of manipulating the party’s primary elections and demanded fresh exercises, warning that the controversies could undermine the APC’s chances in future elections.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Bauchi APC member Alwan Hassan alleged that no genuine governorship primary took place in the state, insisting that party leaders imposed a candidate on members.
“In the case of Bauchi, there was no primary. Nobody was counted. It was almost a consensus and they went and did what they wanted to do,” Hassan said.
He maintained that the process lacked transparency, noting that individuals allegedly announced results without authorisation from the party’s National Working Committee.
“The party actually messed up everything. If they are telling us they did primaries in the gubernatorial election, we want to see pictures and videos,” he added.
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Hassan warned that the dispute was already affecting party unity in Bauchi, claiming that some APC members had begun leaving the party.
“Two senators from the APC have already left for the PRP,” he said.
The APC member called on President Bola Tinubu and party leaders to support direct primaries in the state to restore confidence among party members.
“The advice I will give Mr President is to call the leaders in Bauchi, ask questions about who the best candidate is and advise the party to conduct free, fair and credible direct primaries,” Hassan stated.
Also speaking on the programme, Rivers APC House of Assembly aspirant and chairman of aggrieved aspirants in the state, Legborsi Yamabana, accused the party’s screening committee of undermining internal democracy.
Yamabana alleged that, out of 98 House of Assembly aspirants in Rivers State, only a fraction were cleared to contest.
“Rivers State has 32 assembly seats. Out of the 98 aspirants, just 33 per cent were cleared. It goes to show that the screening committee effectively conducted the primary election before the exercise,” he said.
According to him, several grassroots politicians and serving lawmakers were screened out without explanation.
“What we saw in Rivers State fell short of internal democracy,” Yamabana declared.
He warned that the lingering grievances could negatively affect the APC’s electoral performance in Rivers State if not urgently addressed.
“The competition that would make APC lose in Rivers State is these issues being treated with levity,” he said.
Yamabana appealed to President Tinubu to intervene and ensure justice for aggrieved aspirants.
“Mr President must call the party leadership to order immediately; otherwise, things are going bad,” he added.