As APC Mulls Consensus , DSK May Emerge Guber Candidate
· Court Affirms Sen. Bashir Marafa As APC Candidate For Taraba Central Senatorial District
There are strong indications that Chief David Sabo Kente, popularly called DSK might emerge governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC in Taraba state, following a Federal High Court ruling has sacked Senator Emmanuel Bwacha as candidate of the party.
Relying on the evidence before the court that no governorship primary was held in Taraba, Justice Simon Amobeda ordered a fresh primary within 14 days.
The judge also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to stop forthwith the recognition of Emmanuel Bwacha as the candidate of the party and that the current senator representing Taraba South in turn should desist from parading himself as the governorship candidate of the APC.
He argued that it is not possible for all the primary results to have the same handwriting while the returning officer declared that no primary was held in the state at the police headquarters due to security threats.
Justice Amobeda described as inappropriate, the alleged false declaration of results at the Danbaba Suntai Airport Jalingo before jetting out of the state via a private jet by the returning officer.
The Judgment which had since plunged the APC at the national level into some serious deliberations
"The National Leadership of the party has ruled out conducting a fresh primary election due to resources and time, they also didn't agree with appealing the judgment. They are considering a consensus among the aspirants."
Another source said the aspirants have concluded to unite against the re-emergence of Senator Bwacha as the candidate of the party.
"It's obvious that all the other five aspirants are united against Senator Bwacha, they are angry with his arrogant disposition to clinching the APC ticket, they are angry on what played out in the botched primary election
The party have informed Senator Bwacha not to appeal the judgment because the party is ready to abide by the rulings of court.
Also Senator Bwacha names was removed from the APC Presidential Campaign Council as Coordinator for Taraba State, sources said the party wants to be sure of who will flag its governorship ticket in the state.
"Bwacha failure to rally major stakeholders together to resolve the crisis the ill fated primary election caused in the state chapter of the party angered the National leadership, the had expressly told him to go and seek the supports of other aspirants for his candidature, they warned him of the looming danger but Senator Bwacha was living in delusion that he has secured the ticket of the party."
Meanwhile the Federal High Court in Jalingo has also sacked Hon Mark Useni as candidate of the APC for Takum, Ussa, Donga and Yangtu Federal Constituency; Bar. Abubakar Yahuza as APC candidate for Jalingo one.
However the court affirms Senator Bashir Marafa as APC candidate for Taraba Central Senatorial in the coming elections.
The Court dismissed the suit filled by Senator Abubakar Umar Tutare challenging the legality of APC primaries that produced Senator Marafa Bashir Abba as Party's candidate for Taraba Central Senatorial Zone ahead of 2023 general elections.
What Bwacha, DSK, Sen Yusuf Others said on BBC
Senator Emmanuel Bwacha: " I can win any fresh elections no matter how many times but because we want to test what the court said, we shall go for an appeal. And as a lawyer, I want to respect the Court. Those APC Leaders in the state can't win election. It is not about how long you are in the party but if you can win."
Chief David Sabo Kente 'DSK': "He sounds like a coward. Besides I don't know Bwacha as a lawyer. But even among lawyers there are lawyers. If you say you can win elections let's go for a fresh one now. But it is now up to the national body of our party to know what next. Anyone who wins in a fresh primary we shall support. We have been in this party since 2016. So someone who came recently can't be the same."
Senator Yusuf A Yusuf: "Bwacha is a PDP mole sent to destroy the party because he keeps saying there are moles in the party. My belief is Bwacha never truly left the PDP. He's on an assignment. Now he's a afraid of fresh primaries. There were no primaries. And he knows it"
Former Minister Engr Sale Mamman: "Bwacha is a stranger to our party and he is just blabbing. He came and wanted to grab the party from us by force so we said we must all resist him. There were no primaries in the last election. We can only do what is right."
Ambassador Hassan Ardo: "I'm a founding father of the APC in the state and you know I'll only be with who the people are with and if the right thing is done. Up till now the national body has never reached out to me on any matter concerning the party."
Taraba APC Leaders voices on BBC Hausa service
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