By Bala Dauda Damaturu
Three governorship aspirants under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe have warned that any attempt to rig the forthcoming primary elections of the party will be faced with stiff resistance.
The aspirants : Mr Kashim Musa Tumsah, Mr Mustapha Maihaja and Mr Bashir Sheriff Machina gave the warning at a news conference in Damaturu.
Our correspondent reports that the aspirants are members of the defunct G6, a group which vehemently opposed the recent endorsement of Alhaji Baba Malam Wali by the state APC critical stakeholders as their preferred aspirant.
However, the group shrinks as four of its members have since withdrawn from the race, leaving behind only the three aggrieved aspirants.
Maihaja, who spoke first, noted that rigging the primary election would ruin the chances of the party to emerge victorious in the general election.
He, however, said the party could still make amends by allowing only the governorship aspirants to choose a consensus candidate amongst them.
“ If this can be done, we are ready to support any candidate that emerges through a genuine consensus amongst us.
“ Consensus is strictly an aspirants affair. The party stakeholder have no business taking part in it,” the aspirant said.
Kashim Tumsah emphasised that they were obedient party members, who only wanted justice to prevail and due process followed.
He said with the obvious brake down of consensus, the party must ensure that the votes of registered party members count in the forthcoming direct primary election.
“ Direct primary is not a delegate system; each member of a party has right to vote. Direct primary rules must be followed by all,” he said.
Machina opined that the three aspirants presented a united front against injustice and systematic imposition by the stakeholders.
He called on the national leadership of the party to ensure that due process waa followed in the forthcoming primary election.