Labaran Maku: fights for new primary election in Nasarawa

Former Nigerian Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has called on PDP leadership to cancel the governorship primary election in Nasarawa State due to alleged irregularities.

Maku’s call is contained in a statement issued by the Director of Publicity, Maku Campaign Organisation, Mr Zakari Edege.

The statement said Maku, a governorship aspirant in the state, had submitted his protest letter to the Chairman of the Governorship Primaries Appeal Panel.

“The PDP in Nasarawa state had written to the headquarters on Nov. 28, to protest against the sudden change of delegates’ lists from Keana, Obi, Lafia, Akwanga, and Nasarawa Eggon local governments.

“The Chairman of the Electoral Panel, Sen. Adolphus Wabara, following the protest, insisted that he had instructions from the national secretariat to use the altered delegates list for the primaries.

“Maku, therefore, wondered why there were separate delegates lists for the conduct of State and National Assembly primaries and the governorship primary’’, said the statement.

The statement also alleged that the conduct of the primary election did not conform with the established guidelines as the number of ballot papers exceeded the number of delegates in Nasarawa state.

Maku complained that threat and coercion were used to prevent delegates from freely expressing their choice.

He said in the statement that voting commenced late and went into the night thereby exposing delegates to danger.

“It is on this premise that I urge you most respectfully to use your good and exalted office to intervene by canceling the gubernatorial primary election held in Nasarawa state’’, it said.

“I also urge you to conduct another primary election so as to ensure that a free and fair election is conducted in the state’’, the statement said.

The election was won by businessman Yusuf Agabi who polled 214 votes to defeat Maku and former Governor Aliyu Doma, who polled 160 and 129 votes respectively.