‘APC risks not fielding governorship candidate in Zamfara’

A gubernatorial aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Kabiru Marafa of Zamfara State on Friday warned that the party risks not fielding a candidate in the 2019 election if it fails to conduct credible party primary in the state.

The APC National Working Committee (NWC) had on Thursday cancelled the Zamfara governorship primary election in the state.

The APC had said that the cancellation followed election malpractices, including snatching of electoral materials.

But speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Marafa warned that the primary elections must be conducted before Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline on Sunday or risked disqualification.

He said “Well, it is not about me now I think it is about APC generally, whether APC has a chance or not because once it is blocked by 12.00 a.m. (on Sunday) APC will have nowhere to go to,’’

Stressing that he was in the Villa to update President Buhari on the failed APC governorship primary election in Zamfara State, he alleged that the state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, had lost the support of people of the state.

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He described as “illegal and irresponsible’’ the action of the governor after the announcement of the cancellation of the primary by the Prof. Abubakar Faki-led APC Zamfara Governorship Primaries Committee.

“The chairman of the APC Zamfara Governorship Primaries Committee witnessed the violence, he saw what happened after several days of meeting and he cancelled the election.

‘Even when the results started trickling in the governor was nowhere to be found.

“But the governor came on air to say that he is the chief security officer of the state. So, as far as he is concerned the elections are going to continue on Thursday and he is going to collate the results.

“This is quite illegal and quite irresponsible with due respect. So that is capable of turning the state upside down,’’ he said.

Dismissing the allegation of political thuggery being leveled against him by some state government officials, Marafa alleged that Yari and his supporters were trying to sabotage APC’s interest in Zamfara State.

Meanwhile, the former Zamfara State Governor and a stalwart of the party in the state, Senator Ahmed Yerima also met behind closed doors with President Buhari on Friday.