Fear grips All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirants in Adamawa state amid reports of fake election results being circulated after officials appointed to conduct the rescheduled governorship election in the state delayed their arrival from Abuja.
The election earlier slated for Saturday has been rescheduled to Thursday following protest from former EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu and President Muhammad Buhari’s brother-in-law, Mahmud Halilu against the Yarima Giade-led committee for alleged collusion with Governor Jibrilla to manipulate the primaries.
As voters across the state waited at their respective wards for the whole day before they gave up and dispersed, all the three aspirants expressed fear over some social media posts and reports that indicated that elections were concluded.
Addressing a press conference in Yola, the spokesman of Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla’s re-election campaign, Sale Jingir accused some politicians of producing fake membership cards to be used in the election when the party had never issued cards to its members.
He explained that all registered party members had their names and photos captured in membership register which is the only means of identification recognised by the NWC. He said as at 1:30pm, the officials had not yet arrived in the state.
“We are calling on the security agencies and the INEC that is supposed to supervise the process to immediately to fish out all those behind the assumed membership distribution”, Kinjir said.
Meanwhile, the Director, Research and Planning, Mahmud Halilu Campaign Organisation, Dr. Sulaiman Bagirei said he was disturbed by reports of fake elections being conducted in some wards.
He said he had reports that in Girei and some other local areas, some people paraded themselves as APC election officials and shared votes among the aspirants, calling on party members to disregard them.
Dismissing allegation that Mahmud was relying solely on his family relationship with President Buhari to get the party ticket, the spokesman said the aspirant had adequate academic credentials and popularity.
Also, the spokesperson of Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation, Ibrahim Usman, said they would reject any election conducted in the absence of the elections officials assigned by the NWC.
Usman therefore maintained that Ribadu expected a free and fair election conducted in accordance with the guidelines, calling on supporters to remain calm.
He noted that credible direct primary would give party members the chance to choose competent leaders, saying he believed Ribadu would emerge as party flag bearer in view of his popularity.
Reports from some wards in Jada, Ganye, Mubi and Madagali indicated that voters waited from morning till late afternoon before they left the election centres.
