Supporters of governorship aspirant, Abdurrahman Haske, have raised concerns over the alleged non-conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election across Adamawa State.
A tour of a number of polling units by our correspondents revealed that many party members and delegates gathered at designated voting centres on Thursday but were unable to vote due to the absence of electoral officials and voting materials.
At Makama A, Makama B and Bako polling units in Yola South, large crowds of APC supporters were seen waiting for hours without any sign of election officials.
According to reports by our reporters, the same scenario was replicated across other parts of the state.
Some party members expressed frustration, claiming the exercise was deliberately stalled in areas believed to enjoy strong support for certain aspirants.
Observers at different centers noted that officials and members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were present, as the opposition party was also scheduled to conduct its own congresses on the same day and in same venues.
The coincidence of both parties’ activities sparked controversy among party supporters, with some APC stakeholders alleging that the overlapping schedules created confusion and may have contributed to the disruption of the APC exercise in the state.
According to some supporters of aspirants, the situation appeared deliberately orchestrated to deny party members the opportunity to vote.
“There seems to be a deliberate arrangement to frustrate the conduct of the election in Adamawa State, one aggrieved party agent alleged while speaking to journalists in Yola.
An ADC member, Tanimu Sami, who spoke to reporters in Jimeta, confirmed that both parties initially planned to hold their exercises simultaneously at some centres.
“Both ADC and APC were expected to conduct their primaries today at the same venue, but we later learnt that the APC exercise was shifted because it coincided with ours,” Sami explained.
Supporters and agents of Abdurrahman Haske were among the most vocal critics of the development, insisting that the absence of officials and election materials across the state was unacceptable.
At Makama B ward, one of Haske’s agents, Dahiru Mohammed, expressed disbelief that as of 11:30 a.m., no electoral officials had arrived at the polling unit.
“We have been here since morning, yet there are no officials and no materials for the election. People are waiting, but nothing is happening,” he said.
Other agents, including Sani Tukur in Makama B and Aisha Mohammed Awwal in Bako ward, also condemned the situation, maintaining that no governorship primary election took place in their respective areas.