Taraba Ex-Gov Aspirant Faults Bwacha’s Emergence As APC Candidate

 

A former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State, Sabo Kente has faulted the February 10 rerun primary that produced Senator Emmanuel Bwacha as the party’s governorship candidate in the state ahead of the March 11 poll.

Kente, who was a guest on Channels Television’s The 2023 Verdict on Thursday, said as far as he was concerned, the party does not have a candidate yet in the state.

He said, “On Thursday last week, we were just been informed by text messages that we should prepare to go for the elections and we felt it was an aberration and we decided not to participate and even with that, marks were awarded to people.

“I and the five governorship aspirants did not participate in the primary. Senator Yusuf was given five votes, I was given zero votes from an election we didn’t participate in.

“We are all very blunt in the fact that we are not going to participate, and the reason why we are not participating is that the Supreme Court did not order for a rerun.

“Even if the Supreme Court orders a rerun, there is a procedure for having an election. You don’t just call contestants on the eve of the elections and tell them to go to Taraba and participate in an election you had predetermined the result, and drafted the list of delegates without consulting anybody.”

 

 

Kente said he will  head to court to challenge the fresh process that produced Bwacha, adding that he will remain an APC member if he is suspended or expelled.

Two Federal High Courts in Jalingo and Abuja had at various times nullified the APC governorship primary election and ordered for a fresh primary within 14 days.

Bwacha was, however, reinstated as the party’s candidate in the state by the Court of Appeal in Yola. But that decision of the appellate court reinstating Bwacha as the candidate of the APC was challenged at the apex court by fellow aspirant, Sabo Kente.

In a judgement, a five-man panel of the Supreme Court set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal, and upheld the judgement of the trial court which had ordered for a fresh primary.