Issues Raised in Adamawa APC Governorship Primary

An aspirant in the All Progressives Congress governorship primary in Adamawa State, Abdulrahman Haske, has expressed worries about how the election was conducted. He pointed out alleged problems during the process.

The primary held on Friday ended with Ahmed Galadima, the former Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, being declared the winner.

Prof. Innocent Bariko, who chaired the governorship primary election committee, made the announcement in Yola.

However, in a statement released on Saturday by his campaign Publicity Secretary, Abdulgaffar Ahmed, Haske questioned how credible the exercise was. He said results from some local government areas were still being gathered when the winner was declared at the Government House on Friday.

"The absence of collation processes in some Local Government Areas, irregularities in voting in certain polling units, and limited access to collation procedures before the final declaration of results raises questions on the primaries," the statement said.

"It was surprising that while we were waiting for the collation of the votes to happen; what happened to our greatest surprise was declaration of the winner. We have our data and we would consult and state our position over the weekend," Haske added.

While accepting that a winner had been announced, Haske emphasized that the credibility of any election must be based on transparency, fairness, and inclusiveness.

"The integrity of the process is as important as the outcome. Transparent and inclusive procedures remain essential to sustaining trust, confidence, and unity within our great party," he stated.

Haske thanked his supporters across Adamawa State and urged them to stay calm and law-abiding as discussions with party leaders and stakeholders continue.

"Together, we fought a strong and determined battle with conviction, unity, and hope for a better Adamawa. This journey is far from over, and by the grace of Almighty Allah, we shall emerge stronger, more united, and more determined in the days ahead," he said.

The statement also mentioned that the campaign team was reviewing how the primary went and looking into "all legitimate avenues available."

"Our decisions will be guided by due process, party unity, and the best interests of Adamawa State," he said.

He added that talks were ongoing "with party leaders, stakeholders, and supporters to determine the appropriate next course of action within the framework of the party’s constitution."

"To our resilient and committed supporters across the 21 Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, we salute your courage, sacrifices, and unwavering commitment in standing by us throughout the governorship direct primaries," he added.

Reaffirming his loyalty to the APC, Haske stressed the need to maintain internal democracy, unity, stability, and progress within the party and Adamawa State.

In response to Haske’s claims, the Adamawa APC spokesman, Victor Dogo, told PUNCH over the phone on Saturday that the allegations were baseless and meant to damage the party’s reputation.

"Any aspirants that are not satisfied with the conduct of the primaries should approach the appeal committee and seek redress instead of making provoking statements in the media," he said.

"Haske is a young man and he has a brighter political future ahead of him. Some of you journalists that are close to him should try to advise him to control his tongue," he stated.

Dogo insisted that the Adamawa APC governorship primaries held on Thursday met all democratic standards.

"The governorship primary election was free, fair, and transparent. The votes scored by all the aspirants that participated were announced by the chairman of the committee, Prof. Innocent Bariko," he said.