By; IBRAHIM ADAMU, Kaduna
The last may not have been heard about the just concluded people’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship primary election in Zamfara State where Dauda Lawal Dare was declared winner, as Ibrahim Shehu Gusau and two other contestants have petitioned their party headquarters, citing irregularities.
In a letter of complaint, Gusau and the duo of Wadatau Madawaki and Aliyu Hafiz Muhammad fingered the state party chairman, Col. Bala Mande (rtd) for ensuring his preferred candidate Dauda Dare was declared winner of the Guber Primary election against provisions of the constitution.
The petitioners through their solicitor Ibrahim Ali Esq revealed that Dare was barely three days old in the party when he contested the primary election.
The aspirants complained that list of delegates was doctored, replacing genuine voters with supporters of Dare, whom they noted were members of All Progressives Congress (APC).
They further alleged that delegates were not accredited, an act they said was contrary to provision of the party’s constitution guiding conduct of primary election.
” The primary election conducted on Wednesday 25 May 2022 was in clear violation of chapter 8 section 50 (3) of people’s Democratic Party (PDP) constitution 2017 as amended which stated categorically that three delegates to state Congress , one of which shall be a woman to participate in the election.
” To our dismay, on the day of the election all the women were replaced by men who were not card-carrying members of our party.
” The state party chairman Col. Bala Mande (RTD) who should have been neutral in matters of the election spent the whole night before the election day with delegates campaigning for his preferred candidate Dauda Lawal Dare whom he served as Campaign director.
” The secretary of Madawaki Ward in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State was coerced, threatened with removal and forced to register Dr Dauda Lawal Dare at 3am in the morning of Wednesday 25, few hours before the commencement of the election and placed as No 14 on the list of members of Madawaki Ward even though he declared his entry into PDP on Sunday May 23, 2022.
” Three Adhoc delegates from Birnin Tudu ward in Gummi Local Government were barred from participating in the election and were replaced by Dare’s loyalists and given tags as identification which they used to vote Dare.
” The primary election panel was supposed to be a 7 man but additional 3 were illegally coopted by the chairman of the committee giving our clients the impression they were appointed from the party headquarters in Abuja.
” In view of the above irregularities, inconsistencies and illegalities, our clients are disenchanted with the whole process and appeal to your good office to intervene and ensure justice is done to save the integrity of our great party , ” they pleaded.
