Governor Aliyu Wamakko Saturday emerged winner at the Sokoto State Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship primaries. He got 861 vote to defeat former Minister of Sports, Yusuf Suleiman and Senator Abubakar Umar Gada, both of whom had no vote.
However, the two camps of Gada and Suleiman have rejected the results alleging flagrant violation of acceptable processes.
Declaring the results, chairman of the five man Panel for Gubernatorial Primaries and Minister of State for Education, Chief Ezenwo Nyenson Wike, said the exercise was conducted under free, transparent and credible atmosphere.
The exercise was conducted at the famous Ginginya Memorial Stadium, Sokoto under tight security arrangement.
Speaking shortly after the announcement of the result, Wamakko thanked Allah for the exercise and commended the panel for complying with the party’s requirement on the conduct of the primaries towards the governorship election in 2012.
“You have done well on this onerous task and process of choosing the standard flag bearer of the party despite the challenges.
“I wish to also thank the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambawal, Senators and other legislators and party stalwarts at all levels for the resilience and efforts at ensuring unity of the party in the state.
Reacting to the outcome of the exercise, the Director- General of Senator Gada’s Campaign Organisation and former Director-General of NITT, Dr. Mahe Dange, said as far as they were concerned, there was no primary election in the state, adding that ‘’ we have rejected the exercise and the outcome in totality. It was full of falsehood.
Also reacting separately to the outcome of the exercise on behalf of former Minister of Sport’s camp, former Ambassador to Morocco, Ladan Shuni in a letter to the election Panel alleged out that ‘’ members of our party have had their membership cards confiscated, all wards registers across the councils in the state forcefully collected and taken away by the state government and party officials in contravention of extant rules that are supposed to be transparent.’’
Ladan who is also the Danmasanin Shuni and DG Campaign Organsiation of Yusuf Suleiman said’’ we write to formerly convey to your Committee our objection to the way and manner the whole process are being handled’’
However, scores of party members were seen yesterday jubilating in the streets of Sokoto after Wamakko was announced winner.
Meanwhile, the North West zonal office of PDP in Kaduna has intervened in the crisis in the Sokoto chapter of the party. The party said it was not aware of the existence of a parallel executive of the party in the state even as the party conducted its governorship primaries yesterday.
In a statement by the zonal secretary, Baba Lawal Aliyu, the party said the composition of another executive and the opening of another secretariat was in total violation of the party’s constitution, pointing out that it recognises only the substantive executive which has been in place in the state.
He said that the party has set up a committee to investigate the issue with a view to resolving the problem, adding that any member found to be involved in such an act will be sanctioned.
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