By; IBRAHIM ADAMU, Kaduna
Chairmanship aspirant of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the just concluded Kaduna congress has said that the exercise that produced state executive committee of the party was marred by fraud and irregularities.
Danjuma Sarki at a press conference, accused the state party leadership of pursuing selfish interest by ensuring emergence of an unpopular candidate as chairman of the party against the wish of majority of party members.
According to him, “the mode of the election was to be open-secret ballot in conformity with the constitution and guidelines for conduct of elections of our party, the PDP.
“But instead, some elements within the party who do not wish the party well, especially in Kaduna State, manipulated the process as against the constitution and guidelines of our great party, PDP.
“It is important to make it known to the general public that after accreditation of delegates who by their constitutional right are to vote, but unfortunately, the names of of the preferred candidates, especially for the position of chairmanship was written at the back of delegates tags and were threatened and forced to swear to vote their imposed candidate,” he stated.
The aspirant further accused leaders of the party of infiltrating venue of the election with all manners of people when it became clear that the delegates would not do the bidding of the party.
“Ballot papers were hijacked by these supposed leaders of our party and names of their preferred candidates written on them as seen in videos being circulated on social media.
“At a point the place became rowdy and disorderly with people who had no business being there and that made it easy for the manipulators to carry out their illegalities,” he pointed out.
He described the action of leaders of the party as rape of democracy and abuse of the constitution and guidelines for conduct of state congresses.
He said he walked out of the venue of the congress at Trade Fair Complex in the state capital at the point he discovered that justice and fair play would not be adhered to in the election.
Sarki said if the party could not learn any lesson as an opposition for almost a decade by doing the right thing,it would be very difficult to get back the state from the ruling APC.
“No doubt PDP was rigged out in 2023 gubernatorial election because our leaders refused to turn out in support of our candidate.
“If they had come out in 2023 as they did yesterday at the venue of the Congress to perpetrate their fraud,our party would have produced the governor of the state,” he said.
