Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura has said his nomination as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Zamfara North Senatorial District cannot be overturned following the party’s rerun primary election.
Speaking at a news conference at his home in Kaura Namoda, Kaura alleged that the chairman of the APC primary election committee was taken away to an unknown destination by people he called anti-democratic actors.
He said the committee chairman was allegedly removed before he could announce results that named Senator Sahabi Ya’u as the winner.
Kaura maintained that a majority of committee members opposed that declaration and instead collectively announced him as the successful candidate in the contest.
The disagreement arose after the Court of Appeal in Sokoto directed the APC to conduct another primary. The appellate court had affirmed a Federal High Court ruling that voided the first exercise over alleged procedural irregularities.
In the subsequent rerun, APC returning officer Alhaji Sani Abdullahi declared Kaura victorious with 16,758 votes. Sahabi Ya’u received 1,465 votes, while Abdullahi Sani Shinkafi secured 1,447 votes.
Kaura said the alleged removal of the committee chairman was intended to compromise the election process, and he rejected claims from the rival camp that Sahabi Ya’u had prevailed.
He called on political leaders and other stakeholders to recognise what he termed the voters’ mandate and the outcome announced by the committee members.
