SAN FRANCISCO, October 08, (THEWILL) – The crisis in the Zamfara state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took a new turn over the weekend as the party was unable to hold primaries in the state due to violence.
THEWILL recalls that all the APC primaries conducted in the state for the 2019 elections ended on a rancorous note.
This made the leadership of the ruling party to dissolve the state executive committee and set up a new panel to conduct fresh primaries.
After raising the panel, the national working committee (NWC) of the party expressed confidence that the APC in the state would meet the October 7 deadline of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for submission of candidates by parties.
While dissolving the state exco, the NWC warned the state Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, not to interfere in the primaries but Yari dismissed the action of the NWC, accusing Adams Oshiomhole, APC National Chairman, of working against the interest of the state.
He also asked the NWC panel not to visit Zamfara for another election, saying he and his followers would resist them.
“We heard that the committee of the chairman is not in consultation with any working committee. He (Oshiomhole) is trying to be a kind of mini-god,” he had said while addressing his supporters on Saturday.
“The committee he sent to Zamfara state, I want to say it categorically, they should never step into Zamfara for one minute.
“I, Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, head of government and security, I am saying that the committee sent by Oshiomhole to come and do a dirty job should not dare come into Zamfara state.
“We are ready, including myself, to be taken to the graveyard tomorrow. It’s fight to finish.”
Despite Yari’s threat, the panel visited the state on Sunday but supporters of the governor clashed with those of Kabir Marafa, a governorship aspirant, and this prevented elections from holding.
At a press briefing on Monday, Gana Mohammed, chairman of the panel, said the materials that were supposed to be used for the elections were still intact.
“A question was asked whether or not the committee that came from Abuja conducted an election in Zamfara state. We did not. We still have our materials and we hope to present our report to the headquarters in Abuja,” he said.
“I and members of my committee still have all our election materials with us.”
However, Yari and some of his loyalists organised a parallel governorship primary election where Mukhtar Idris, finance commissioner of the state, was announced as winner of the primary.
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