Lawan vs Machina: INEC document recognises Senate President’s rival as winner of Yobe North APC primary

The crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) over Yobe North Senatorial District ticket for the 2023 election has taken a new dimension.

Bashir Sherrif Machina won the primary conducted on May 28, 2022, but the APC leadership under Abdullahi Adamu had submitted the name of Senate President Ahmad Lawan as candidate of the senatorial district for the election.

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This had irked Machina and his supporters who accused APC of being anti-democratic.

In an interview he granted to BBC, Adamu had asked Machina to be mindful of his utterances.

However, on Friday, Machina stormed the office of Tthe Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Yobe State to obtain certified true copy of the primary election, which the commission monitored.

In a copy of the document sighted by our correspondent, Machina scored 289 votes out of the 300 votes cast by the delegates.

The document certified by the electoral office on June 23, 2022, did not mention Ahmad Lawan, the Senate President.

Machina has been arguing that Lawan who took a shot at the presidential ticket of the APC did not participate in the primary.

Although he admitted that he was under pressure, Machina has vowed not to relinquish the ticket to Lawan.

In a chat with Daily Trust, Machina said he was approached by some people to relinquish the ticket, but that he would not.

The candidate said he was not opposed by any senatorial hopeful for the ticket because “I was the one that was qualified”.

“As far as I’m concerned, I contested for the Yobe north senatorial ticket and I won the election,” the candidate said. I was confirmed elected because there were other contestants but I was the one that was qualified. I happened to be unopposed.

“I am still the candidate; I have not withdrawn and I will not withdraw for anybody. I am being approached by some persons but I will not withdraw, Insha Allah.”

Daily Trust understands that Machina went to INEC office in Yobe after the National Commissioner on Information and Voter Education of the electoral body, Mr Festus Okoye, cleared the air on the controversies surrounding Yobe North Senatorial primary.

Speaking when he featured on a television programme, Okoye advised aggrieved aspirants to obtain Certified True Copy (CTC) of the election result from the commission.