By Umar Faruk Birnin kebbi
Alhaji Idris Yahuza-Yakubu, Chairman, APC Gubernatorial Primary Election Committe in Kebbi State, has lauded the spirit of sportsmanship exhibited by the three competing aspirants during the conduct of the election.
He made the statement while addressing Journalists in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital on Monday.
The committee chairman tasked other states to emulate what he described as “High sense of sportsmanship spirit” to further strengthen the nation’s democracy and its citizenry.
Idris Yahuzu Yakubu said he was elated with the way and manner the three gubernatorial aspirants related peacefully and cheerfully with one another at the venue of the primary election.
“I saw the three aspirants relating freely and peacefully with one another and all of them were there for most of the period of voting, even though, some of them were in disagreement with what the government is deciding to choose.
“However, election went on smoothly, there was no intimidation, no harassment and there was much respect for each other and that’s the maturity built in Kebbi State I am proud of
“I know some states where a gubernatorial aspirant who is not favoured by those in power cannot even come near the venue of the convention, so, I think it’s a positive sign here in Kebbi,” he said.
He noted with satisfaction that the election was rancho-free, while attributing such achievement to the ability of the state governor to carry his people along.
The committee leader added that the state government had built consensus among its political stakeholders and allowed to a large extent democratic process to flourish.
The chairman assured that the committee had conducted a free, fair, transparent and successful primary election in the state.
“The election was between three aspirants, they include; Distinguished Sen. Dr Yahaya Abdullahi, who is the current Senate Leader, Alhaji Abubakar Mallam, Shatiman Gwandu and Dr Nasiru Idris, Kauran Gwandu.
“The processes that we did after the delegates from 21 Local Government Areas were screened, it was done Local Government by Local Government but we started with those who were from the fardest LGs, because that day was also slated for House of Assembly election.”
He said when the delegates were screened the agent of each aspirant was given the opportunity to verify the authenticity of the delegates inspire of the earlier verification.
“We also invited the aspirants to bring their agents for each of those Local Government to ensure that those delegates that have been sorted out are the ones eligible to vote and for each of those LGs, the aspirants provided us with three agents that stood there while the voting process was going on.
“This exercise was done LG by LG until we exhausted all the 21 LGs, when we finished, we gathered all of them in one place and called their returning agents and sorted out candidate by candidate,” he noted.
Our correspondent recalls that Dr Nasir Idris was declared APC gubernatorial candidate having scored 1,055 votes to defeat Abubakar Mallam with 35 and Dr Yahaya Abdullahi who got zero votes.
