The delegate selection exercise in Magajin Geri Constituency slated for Friday, January 20, 2023 was thwarted by series of irregularities as some members of the selection committee were alleged of attempting to favour a particular aspirant.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had directed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State to submit list of delegates ahead of the primary election in order to nominate a candidate that will represent the ruling APC on the ballot papers in the forthcoming general elections following the death of Hon. Abubakar Olawoyin Mogaji, Kwara House of Assembly Majority Leader, who represented Magajin Geri Constituency in the 9th Assembly.
The major aspirants are: Orire Ibrahim Olarewaju; Toyin Agaka, Barr. Oba Abdulkadir Magaji and Abubakar Suleiman (Sai Kai).
EVENTNG reports that out of the five wards in Magajin Geri Constituency, it was only in Oko-Erin that the selection process was not characterised by crisis.
A reliable source in the party told EVENTNG that crisis brewed between Barr. Oba Abdulkadir and Suleiman Abubakar otherwise called Sai Kai over attempt by the former’s camp to handpick delegates that would do his biddings. This alleged self-serving move led to the disruption of the process in Magajin Geri and Badari wards held inside Baptist Primary School, Surulere and ECWA Primary School, Oja Iya respectively.
The source noted, “At Magajin Geri Ward, there was a disagreement between the stakeholders as to whether to make use of old APC membership register or the new one, which is an indication that the party and the selection committee lack the internal mechanism to diligently prosecute a simple process such as this.”
Speaking on Osin/Warrah ward, the source said the chairman, Alhaji Amuda Warrah was alleged to have denied interested members of the party the opportunity to obtain delegate form for the primary election.
He continued, “Our chairman didn’t even announce that affirmation would take place yesterday (Friday), but most of us later discovered it was a plan to disenfranchise us and we immediately rushed to Gaa Odota Primary School where we usually hold our weekly party meeting, but to our surprise, the affirmation exercise didn’t hold there, it was later gathered that the chairman disregarded the party constitution and moved the affirmation exercise to his hometown, Warrah Village in order to manoeuvre the whole process. We quickly rushed to the venue, but unfortunately, we waited for about four hours with no activity going on. We thought there would be no affirmation again and maybe the party has resolved to direct primary this morning. But unfortunately, we received a call that the INEC were on ground for the affirmation exercise. So, we were told that the exercise has been conducted and delegates had been selected. This is a contravention of the party constitution which is capable of making the party lose the seat to the opposition party in the eventuality of any litigation.
“One Abdulfatai Ajia, wife of the chairman both civil servants Abule and Onikokoro, members of the ward executive committee among others were handpicked by the chairman,” he said.
He claimed that the same incident played out in some of wards in the constituency.
The implications of the non adherence to the procedures in line with the extant laws may spell doom for the party in the coming elections.
Several attempts to reach spokesperson of the party and the selection committee on the actual procedures for the selection of delegates to clarify what may eventually happen if the party fails to conduct the primary election remains doubtful
The source furthered that if eventually, a candidate emerged through dubious selection process and irregularities, it could further aggravate the already existing imbroglio within the ruling party, thereby calling on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to wade into the issue in order ti ensure a seamless selection process without creating any acrimony.
It was also that the primary is currently ongoing at the Kwara State Council of Art and Culture building at Garin Alimi, Ilorin with alleged fabricated list of delegates.
