Auwalu Lawan Daura, a frontline aspirant in the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives primary for the Daura/Sandamu/Mai’adua Federal Constituency of Katsina State, has raised concerns over the conduct of the exercise, alleging irregularities in the process.
Daura, who is reportedly the only contender opposing the adoption of Yusuf Buhari, son of former President Muhammadu Buhari, as consensus candidate, expressed dissatisfaction with the manner the party’s direct primaries were conducted.
He alleged that the exercise fell short of established party guidelines, questioning both the integrity of the voting process and the credibility of those involved in the collation.
According to him, there were clear indications of malpractice during the exercise, particularly in the counting of votes, which he described as questionable.
“I am not satisfied with what happened today. Evidence is everywhere showing the injustice that was done. The manner of counting was highly dubious, and most of the people counted did not even have party membership cards,” he said.
Daura maintained that his participation in the race was driven by a desire to ensure internal democracy and fairness within the party.
He added that the decision by party stakeholders to initially adopt a consensus arrangement was rejected by members who insisted on direct primaries.
“When I started this political movement, I made it clear that it was about the will of the people. When a consensus candidate was said to have been adopted, the people said no, they wanted primaries. My insistence was not out of disrespect, but a demand for justice and fairness,” he stated.
The APC is yet to respond officially to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
