The All Progressives Congress, APC, is conducting its primary election nationwide to elect the party’s governorship candidates in the 2015 election.
Already, the fate of Governors Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, and Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa and Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state are already known as they are reported to be sole candidates of the party in their states.
The primary elections in those states is expected to be mere formality.
Lagos State
It is a different ball game in Lagos state where there are 12 candidates seeking to be selected as the party’s flag bearers. Reports from Onikan Stadium, venue of the primary say all the candidates are already at the venue and the election might commence anytime soon
In Kaduna, feelers suggest former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nasir El-Rufai may emerge the APC candidate. He however need to beat Salihu Lukman, Haruna Kajuru, Shamsuddeen Abdullahi and Isah Ashiru in the election starting any moment from now at the trade fair complex.
In Kano, the deputy to Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Umar Ganduje, is expected to emerge after being anointed by the caucus of the party. Nevertheless, Mr. Ganduje will slug it out with Senator Ibrahim Gaya, Rep. Kawu Sumaila, Salisu Takai, Abba Yusuf and Rabiu Bichi.
Our reporter in Kano however said journalists are still scrambling to find out the venue of the primary election.
In Sokoto, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal is expected to win, he is facing Bello Gada, Lawal Bashir and Yushau Kebbi.
Live Updates from Across the State
15.11
ADAMAWA
In Adamawa state, delegates are presently queued at the Lamido Cinema venue of the election. The party’s flag bearer in the cancelled Adamawa bye election, Mohammed Jibrilla, aka Bindow and his major contender, Ibrahim Mijinyawa, aka Yayaji, are already at the venue.
15.40
KWARA
In Kwara, the election is going smoothly so far. Incumbent governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, is expected to emerge.
15.45
KANO
In Kano the election will hold at the Sani Abacha Stadium at about 6pm. A total of 7,500 delegates will participate in the election.
15.50
KWARA
In Kwara, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has been declared winner of the governorship primary. He was sole candidate at the primary, and the election was mere formality. He addressed delegates after being declared winner, promising to do more for the state if reelected governor in February.
15.58
KANO
There are indications that one of the aspirants, Suleman Kawu, will withdraw from the governorship race in Kano any moment from now. Mr. Kawu, who is the Deputy Minority leader in the House of Representatives, is negotiating his withdrawal from the race with some APC chiefs in the state. If he finally withdraws, the ticket will be contested for by three others namely, the Deputy Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, former military governor of Kaduna State, Jafaru Isa, and Usman Alhaji, a former finance commissioner in the state. Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso has since endorsed his deputy.
16.02
AKWA-IBOM
In Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, the accreditation of delegates has just commended at the Township Stadium along Udo Umana Street. PREMIUM TIMES learnt the APC structure collapsed in the state after the devastating blow it got from the PDP-led government of Governor Godswill Akpabio. The party’s gubernatorial candidate during the 2011 general election, John Udoedehe, had lost many of his supporters to the PDP which had the economic power. But with the defection to the party of the former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Umana Okon Umana, the party was revved to life. Mr. Umana is said to have brought into the party, his supporters and a robust political structure that cuts across every part of the state.
16.03
SOKOTO
In Sokoto, over 4000 APC delegates from the 23 LGAs of the state are now fully seated at the Shehu Kangiwa Memorial Stadium venue of the APC guber primaries. Binji LG has concluded voting. Next is Bodinga and Dange Shuni LGs. Then Gada and Goronyo LGs will vote.
16.05
NASARAWA
In Nasarawa, late arrival of materials is delaying the governorship primaries
A cross section of the delagates who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES complained that they arrived Lafia as early as 7.30a.m believing that accreditation would commence at 8.30am as scheduled.
Isaac Saleh of Keffi in Nasarawa West Senatorial District lamented the continued delay of the exercise as at 1.30p.m.
He said that most delegates came with the hope of returning home today but that with the delay, it might not be possible.
“I was not prepared to stay till tomorrow but with what is going on, the exercise might be delayed till midnight.”
PREMIUM TIMES observed that the accreditation is taking place at three different places, according to senatorial district.
On a visit to the stadium, where the West Senatorial District delegates are being accredited, at about 2.30pm, Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura was seen addressing delegates.
Governor Almakura and three other aspirants namely James Angbazo, Reuben Audu, and Stanley Buba, are contesting for the ticket of the party to contest the 2015 gubernatorial election in the state.
16.08
AKWA-IBOM
The contest in Akwa Ibom is between four aspirants: Mr. Udoedehe, who had contested the governorship of the state on the party’s platform in 2011, former Military Administrator of Rivers State and a guber candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, Mr. Umana, the former SSG and an APC member of the House of Representatives, Emmanuel Ekpenyong.
16.12
ENUGU
In Enugu State, the state chapter of the party has adopted Okey Ezea as its consensus governorship candidate for the 2015 election, party chairman, Ben Nwoye says. Mr. Ezea, who has contested and lost the Enugu governorship post in the past, is a multimillionaire maritime lawyer and shipping mogul
16.39
BENUE
In Benue, the spokesperson to one of the frontline aspirants, Prof. Steve Ugbah, has issued a statement debunking speculations that he has stepped down from the race. Below is the full statement. “The attention of the Prof. Steve Torkuma Ugbah has been drawn to a story in today’s edition of Daily Telegraph to the effect that the Benue State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has barred him from the party’s Governorship Primaries earlier scheduled for today, but which for some reason(s) as yet unknown to us, have been rescheduled for Tomorrow i.e. 5th December, 2014.
“Ugbah, the party’s governorship candidate in the 2011 guber-election, is the leading contender for the state APC ticket.
“It is possible that the story is also in other dailies, but the one in Daily Telegraph attributes the origin of the story to the State APC Chairman, Mr. Abba Yaro, and quotes him as saying Ugbah has been excluded from the race, and that although he has bought his Nomination Form, and has been duly screened, Ugbah “remains on his own.”
Prof. Ugbah wishes to state categorically, unambiguously and unequivocally that:
1. The story is not true.
2. It is not only baseless, wicked and satanic, it is calculated to mislead his teeming supporters across the state who are gearing up to give him the party’s nomination tomorrow or anytime the state EXCO permits one to be held.
3. Abba Yaro has no power, authority and locus, either as the State Chairman of the APC and/or an individual, to stop, disqualify or bar Ugbah from contesting in our party’s Primaries, now rescheduled for tomorrow, Friday December 5, 2014.
4. There is no provision in our party’s guidelines or constitution as well as the nation’s constitution that gives Abba Yaro (or anybody by whatsoever designation in the state EXCO) the power, right or privilege to disqualify/bar any aspirant, least of all, an aspirant of Prof. Ugbah’s calibre, who, besides purchasing and returning his Expression of Interest/Nomination Forms, has been duly screened and passed by the APC Governorship Screening Committee, sitting Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.
5. First, he was refused the Nomination Form after paying the statutory fees on grounds of a bogus and non-existent “Handling fees). That pathetic attempt to extort money from him collapsed when the National Secretariat of the party received Ugbah’s nomination papers, and wished him luck. Today, it is this phoney statement about Ugbah being debarred. It does not get weirder.
In the light of the foregoing, Prof. Ugbah wishes to call on his teeming Delegates/party faithful as well as his supporters and sympathizers across the other political parties to disregard the said story or stories, in totality, whether they are in print or verbal.
Ugbah wishes to assure them, and very powerfully so, that he, Steve Torkuma Ugbah, the leading contender for the governorship ticket of our great party, remains very much in the race. These desperate antics only confirm him as the candidate to beat.
Ugbah wishes to further assure his increasing army of supporters that the desperate, but doomed campaign to stop him, at all cost and by all means possible, by Abba Yaro and/or the State EXCO, acting independently or following the script of any god-father or god-mother, cannot stop his determined quest to vie for the nomination of his party so as to rescue both his party, the APC, and Benue state from 16 years of democratic misrule and arrested development.
Prof. Ugbah, who is only asking for a level playing ground from the state APC (which is not too much to ask), finds it curious that Abba Yaro, an Idoma man from Zone C is not zoning the governorship slot to Zone C, but is spiritedly embarrassing the party with his morbid obsession with Ugbah or his unstoppable candidacy.
Signed:
Simon Imobo-Tswam
Media Adviser to: Prof. Steve Torkuma Ugbah
16.42
KWARA
In Kwara, former Governor, Bukola Saraki, commends members of the APC who stepped down their ambition in the interest of the party and the state. He said the sacrifices would not be forgotten. He also thanked security agents sent to the primary election. “I’m sure we made their job easy in Kwara,” he said.
17.15
KADUNA
In Kaduna zone voting have already started at Kaduna International trade fair venue of the primaries, our reporter said that delegates of 4 local government have already casted their votes. He also said the primaries is peaceful.
17.15
RIVERS
In Rivers State, a member of the House of Representatives, Dakuku Peterside, has emerged as the APC governorship candidate. A total of 3,733 out of 4,321 accredited delegates voted for Mr. Peterside. There were, however, 3,914 valid votes.
17.18
LAGOS
Tinubu pleads with 13 Lagos aspirant to accept result of primaries
A national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, has appealed to all the aspirants for the party’s governorship candidate at the ongoing primary election in Lagos to accept whoever emerges winner as the party’s choice. In a goodwill message to the aspirants, delegates, and party members on Thursday, Mr. Tinubu, hailed all the aspirants for being good democrats. “I want to use this opportunity to commend all the aspirants. You have toiled hard and sweated for the good of the state,” Mr. Tinubu said in the message read by party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Joe Igbokwe. “You all have acquitted yourselves very well by selling your vision and not by tearing each other down. This is as it should be and must be.” Over 6,000 delegates from 20 local governments across the state have assembled at the Onikan Stadium on Lagos island, to elect the party’s flag bearer out of the 13 aspirants. Ahead of Thursday’s primaries, about 10 of the aspirants had called for a suspension of the exercise on the grounds that the procedure for selecting the delegates was flawed. But on his message, Mr. Tinubu urged all the aspirants to accept the winner of the primaries as the party’s choice. “When I met with all of you, you spoke of the need to ensure a free and democratic process. Today, you have that process,” Mr. Tinubu said. “However, we must be realistic. There are 12 good men seeking one post, only one of you will win this position. “Accept the winner as the choice of the party that we may move forward and continue the project we highly seek. “You are 12 aspirants, and like the 12 tribes of Israel, let us work together.”
17.22
LAGOS
Delegates begin voting in Lagos
Delegates have commenced voting to select the All Progressives Congress, APC, Lagos governorship flag bearer for next year’s election. The delegates were drawn from the 20 local government areas of the state. John Obadan, the chairman of the party’s Election Committee, appealed to the aspirants as well as the delegates to ensure that the exercise is peaceful. “We are a party set to change things in Nigeria. Charity must begin from our bedroom. We look up to Lagos as a model for democracy,” said Mr. Obadan, a former deputy governor of Edo State. “Consequent upon that, I want to counsel that today we behave in an orderly manner so we do not cancel all the credits we have earned.” Thirteen aspirants, including one female, are vying for the party’s ticket for the 2015 election. The candidate with the highest number of votes will be announced at the end of voting and the person emerges the party’s flag bearer. Mr. Obadan also appealed to aspirants who would feel disgruntled at the end of the exercise to make a presentation to the committee. “The final arbiter is the National Working Committee in Abuja,” he added.
17.32
YOBE
The Chairman of the APC Electoral Committee in Yobe State, Babagana Tijani, has announced that the delegates to the party’s primary election have endorsed Governor Ibrahim Geidam as its governorship candidate in the 2015 election.
17.35
KANO
An aspirant in Kano, Kawu Sumaila, is reportedly negotiating for the position of the deputy governor. An official of the APC in the state, who does not want to be named because he does not have the authority to speak, told PREMIUM TIMES in confidence that Mr. Kawu, a member of the House of Representatives, has agreed to withdraw and become the running mate to Abdullahi Ganduje, the current deputy governor.
17.40
ZAMFARA
In Gusau, Zamfara State, delegates are trooping into the Trade Fair Complex along the Sokoto road bye-pass for the primary election. The delegates are expected to simply ratify the election of Governor Abdulaziz Yari, who is the sole candidate of the APC in the state.
17.53
KADUNA
El-Rufai, Ashiru in early lead
Report from Kaduna says a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is in early lead followed closely by Mohammed Ashiru. Accreditation of delegates began at about 10am while voting commenced at 1.28 pm. Our correspondent in Kaduna reports that while some have judged the exercise free and fair, others say it is characterised by financial inducement.
18.11
SOKOTO
Voting is getting to an end in sokoto as Wamakko Local Government Area, led by Aliyu Wammako, the Sokoto state governor, have just finish voting. Next on queue is Wurno and Yabo local government areas before counting of votes will start.
18.13
NASARAWA
Nasarawa delegates have started arriving the City Hall, Shendam Road, Lafia, venue of the primary election after accreditation at Youth Centre and Stadium. 3,000 delegates are expected to vote in the exercise.
18.17
AKWA-IBOM
18.18
ADAMAWA
In Adamawa, voting commenced at about 5.30pm with the 79 statutory delegates casting their votes first. The delegates from the three zones of the state will vote after the statutory delegates.
18.19
SOKOTO
Voting has ended in Sokoto. Sorting and counting begins immediately.
18.26
LAGOS
10 aspirants leave venue midway into voting
Almost all the governorship aspirants at the ongoing APC primaries in Lagos have left the venue of the exercise.
Akinwunmi Ambode, Ganiyu Solomon, and Leke Pitan are the only ones out of the 13 aspirants left at Onikan Stadium as at 6p.m.
It is unclear why the aspirants left midway into the exercise.
Earlier, Peter Obadan, chairman the Election Committee, had appealed to the aspirants to monitor the exercise and channel any grievance to the committee.
Tokunbo Wahab, the youngest aspirant in the race, left about 30 minutes ago.
Femi Hamzat left two hours ago.
Adeyemi Ikuforiji, who was the first among the aspirants to arrive the venue at about 9 a.m., and left soon soon after delegates began voting by1p.m.
As at 6 p.m., delegates from eight out of the 20 local government areas of the state has cast their votes.
18.41
TARABA
Three out of the eight aspirants are protesting the conduct of the primary election in the state. Mohammed Suleiman, Mohammed Ibrahim and Yusufu Akirikwen, are alleging that the team conducting the election is doing the bidding of one of the aspirants, Jummai Alhassan. Mr. Suleiman is believed to be relative of Jummai Alhassan. They told journalists that they asked for the list of delegates prior to the election and that they were kept in the dark on all the information relating to the conduct of the exercise holding in Jolly Nyame Stadium, Jalingo. Also, the name of the aspirants, Ezekiel Afukonyo is reportedly omitted from the list of contestants. The head of the election panel sent from Abuja,. Kola Shittu, promised to brief the press on all the issues later.
18.42
SOKOTO
Counting has started in Sokoto. The only thing that one can hear from the counting desk is Aminu, Aminu, Aminu Waziri, Aminu, Aminu, Aminu Tambuwal, Aminu, Aminu, Aminu and Aminu.
18.44
KWARA
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed sent out a tweet thanking delegates for electing him.
I thank all party members, executives at all levels, our stakeholders and ……for the confidence you have reposed in me.
18.47
YOBE STATE It’s all clear for Governor Ibrahim Gaidam. Yobe APC delegates have endorsed him as the party’s 2015 governorship candidate, says Chairman of Electoral Committee, Babagana Tijjani.
18.52
NASARAWA
Due to rowdiness voting has suspended and delegates asked to return to their seats for new arrangement.
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