Some aspirants of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State have called for the cancellation of the party’s recently conducted primaries, alleging widespread irregularities and describing the exercise as a “sham.”
The aggrieved aspirants made the demand during a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Kaduna, where party stakeholders accused some political actors of compromising the electoral process.
Speaking on behalf of the aspirants, Hon. Samaila Aliyu, an aspirant for the Makarfi/Kudan Federal Constituency seat, alongside the Deputy Women Leader of the ADC in Kaduna State, Hon. Zulaihat Abdulkarim, rejected the outcome of the primaries and called for a fresh exercise.
They alleged that the coalition centre designated for the election was disrupted by suspected political actors who allegedly seized electoral materials and manipulated the process.
According to them, the situation later degenerated into the announcement of what they described as predetermined results.
“There was actually no election. We were supposed to have a credible exercise, but that did not happen,” the aspirants said.
They further accused a governorship aspirant, a serving member of the House of Representatives and a member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly of allegedly mobilising thugs who disrupted the process and carted away sensitive election materials.
The aspirants maintained that the exercise failed to meet democratic standards and warned that allowing the outcome to stand could damage the credibility of the party.
They noted that the ADC was widely seen as a platform of hope for many Nigerians, stressing that such alleged irregularities could erode public confidence in the party.
“ADC is supposed to be a platform where Nigerians have hope, but that hope is being destroyed by this sham,” they stated.
The aggrieved aspirants therefore appealed to the national leadership of the party to immediately cancel the Kaduna primaries and organise a fresh, transparent and credible exercise.
They expressed confidence that the party’s national leadership would intervene to address the situation and safeguard internal democracy within the ADC.
The aspirants also warned that failure to act swiftly could trigger further internal crisis within the party ahead of future elections.
