Some All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Kaduna yesterday staged a protest over the exclusion of aspirants for the Kaduna central senatorial seat by the party’s headquarters in Abuja.
The protest extended into the late hours of Tuesday night.
Party loyalists demanded the immediate upturning of the decision of the party to give only Shehu Sani, an incumbent senator, an automatic ticket, thereby disqualifying other aspirants.
Sani, who is currently representing Kaduna central senatorial district, was the only candidate cleared for the seat going by the list released by the APC national body on Tuesday.
Immediately after the list was made public, protesters gathered at the party secretariat along Ali Akilu road protesting the exclusion of other candidates who had also purchased and submitted the expression of interest and nomination forms.
“The road is a busy one and it is adjacent to the APC head office in Kaduna.
It took me more than an hour to get past that road because of the protesters,“ Ibrahim Musa, a civil servant said.
In a press briefing led by Aminu Jibo, the zonal chairman, APC Kaduna central senatorial district, at the party’s secretariat, he condemned the choice of Sani as the sole candidate of the party.
“In our view, it is undemocratic to prevent our party members from making a democratic choice from the vibrant list of aspirants who have put themselves forward.
“We are aware that five of our members purchased and submitted expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the senate primaries in our zone.
It beggars belief that Shamsudeen Shehu Giwa, Uba Sani, Mohammed Sani Saleh and Usman Ibrahim were all not cleared.
Only one of the five aspirants was cleared.
This is a naked effort to foist a candidate on our zone, and we cannot accept this reckless act of impunity.
“Uba Sani has been a loyal member of the APC, and served the Kaduna state government as special adviser on political matters for almost four years.
He was appointed senior special assistant to the president on public affairs in 2006.
After such a distinguished record of public service at the federal and state levels, there is no basis for excluding him from democratic participation.
“Members of our zone view this action of unlawful exclusion as an affront to natural justice.
It confirms what we previously dismissed as rumors to the effect that certain persons had been promised automatic tickets.
The notion of automatic ticket contravenes the constitution of the APC.
In the weeks leading to the primaries, the leaders of the APC denied nurturing any such plans to subvert the party’s constitution and reward the most flagrant acts of misconduct, indiscipline and disloyalty.
Were we wrong to have believed their assurances?,” He asked
