The Niger State Deputy, Hon. Ahmed Ibeto, and four other aggrieved aspirants who lost the Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries in the state have rejected the results.
They described the exercise as a kangaroo process.
Spokesman of the aspirants, Engr. Mustapha Bello, said at a joint press conference at the IBB Pen House on Monday that Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu’s attitude violated the rules and guidelines of the party primaries.
According to Bello: “The whole exercise was a charade.
“The party guideline says election must be a transparent, open secret ballot, but to our surprise, the governor went straight to the agent of his endorsed candidate and signed his ballot paper.
“It was a designed process because the governor can read and write.
“After the governor did that, the first delegates from Agaie lined up in front of the favoured candidate’s agent to fill their ballot papers and be consented by him.
“I tried to object but I was not listened to.
“Each time the local governments were called, they all went to the same person.
“Whereas there are other agents around.
“I concluded it was a plan process that has been hatched.
“The outcome was that they allocated results in figures to us just to ridicule us.
“It is obviously an impossibility.
“We have refused to accept the report and we have asked our agents not to sign the report sheet.
“We remain obedient to the party, but we will not accept this kind of irresponsibility.”
Ibeto said he personally spoke with the electoral officials that what happened was outside the guidelines of the party.
He said: “There is no way all the delegates cannot write.
“It is really unacceptable.
“It was a stage managed process.
“We thought something should be done but nothing was done.”
Peter Gana said he withdrew from the contest because he knew before the exercise that the whole exercise was stage managed.
Darangi said he earlier heard of the plans to do what they did.
According to him: “I totally reject the result because it was an arranged process.”
The aggrieved however prayed the national body to intervene so that the necessary action can be taken.
“We want the party in the state to continue in unity,” they said, vowing not to leave the PDP.
The protesting aspirants are Ibeto, Salle Darangi, Mustapha Bello, Peter Gana and Mohammed Dukku.
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