The immediate past Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Ahmed Alkali, has stated that he will not participate in the upcoming All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary elections scheduled for Thursday, May 21.
In a statement Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Umar Alkali Jibrin, the former minister notified the APC national and state leadership, as well as the general public that he had resolved to boycott the exercise over alleged lack of fairness, inclusivity, and credibility.
Senator Alkali said he considered the decision as unavoidable in spite of the huge commitments he made towards realising his political aspiration.
“As a loyal member of the party, he purchased Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms and was screened by the relevant Committee and secured eligibility to participate in the upcoming gubernatorial primaries in Gombe State.
“However, he was demoralized and grossly disappointed by the recent conduct of House of Representatives and Senate Primaries in Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye and Balanga/ Billiri Federal Constituencies, as well as the Gombe Central Senatorial District on May 16 and 18, respectively,” the statement said.
It further alleged that the results in the two previous primary elections were concocted, “as no actual election was conducted with any measure of fairness, inclusivity, and credibility.”
“The conduct of the two primaries was characterised by gross non-compliance with the provisions of Section 86 of the Electoral Act, 2026, which mandates all direct primaries to be conducted in accordance with the guidelines of each political party.
“Specifically, the so-called House of Representatives and Senate primaries in the affected areas of the State witnessed the highest degree of manipulation, irregularities, absence of transparency, lack of inclusiveness, and violations of the rights of aspirants to participate with guaranteed equity, justice, and impartiality,” he said.
Jibrin also alleged that the exercise lacks the basic hallmarks of a credible democratic process as clearly manifested by the absence of voting materials, electoral personnel, monitors, and logistics.
He said, “In recognition of the terrible undemocratic precedent established as an outcome of the two primaries, and given the unfortunate loss of public confidence in the exercises, Senator Alkali resolved to notify all concerned party leaders of his decision to boycott the exercise, as no one is convinced that the next primaries will produce a better outcome.”
However, despite his resolution to boycott the election, Alkali confirmed his unalloyed loyalty to the party with strong assurance of sustainable support to win the 2027 general elections. Despite the sad gang-up against the credible conduct of primaries in Gombe State to block the chances of producing transformative leaders that will move the State forward.
“Senator Alkali remains grateful to the party, his teeming supporters, and the good people of Gombe State for remaining determined, calm, and focused, in spite of the ongoing injustices against democratic practice that seek to make life better for everyone in the State.”
The former minister also appealed to the national leadership of the APC to cancel the primaries in the affected areas and set up a high-powered committee to conduct free, fair, and credible primaries in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, Electoral Act, and APC guidelines.
Senator Alkali’s decision comes on the heels of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, also a governorship aspirant of the APC in Gombe, Prof Isa Ali Pantami, boycotted the exercise.
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