When the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted its primaries to elect a candidate that will fly the party’s mandate for the Niger East Senatorial District, we all thought that the basic tenets and ideals of democracy will be observed. Unfortunately, however, this did not happen as the party leadership under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole appear bent on imposing Senator David Umaru on the party members from the Niger East Senatorial District.
The direct primaries were conducted by the officials from the national secretariat of the party. The primaries were observed by the officials of the Independent National Commission (INEC). The APC declared Musa winner of the primary election after he pooled over 39,192 votes as against over 5,870 votes recorded by Senator Umaru. The result was announced by the returning officer for the primary election, Alhaji Saidu Akawu, who said the election was peaceful, free and fair and was conducted in a transparent and orderly manner.
Then the undemocratic act happened; David Umaru’s name was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the winner of the primaries by the leadership of the party under Oshomhole! Every effort or democratic means employed by the members of the party who felt short-changed by the action of the national leadership of the party fell on deaf ears. Both the youths and elders of the party’s appeal to the national leadership of the party equally did not change anything.
A youth organization under the auspice of Coalition of Niger East Youths Organisation (Zone B) Niger State issued a statement and part of it read as follows: “recall that Senator Umaru would not have been able to defeat Dr Babaginda in the election were it not for the tacit commitment of the people who thought he would be a quality lawmaker whose primary focus will be to make beneficial legislations in the interests of the people and as well attract developmental projects to the zone.
But the people were mistaken! Senator Umaru neither made quality legislations nor facilitated any tangible project to the zone. It is needless to say that for the past three years, his constituents have been complaining, lamenting the inaccessibility of the senator and his lack of responsiveness to the very reasons he was sent to Abuja.
He was sent to Abuja to make laws for the good governance of the country. He chose another hustle for himself: to align with the very prebendal forces that have held Nigeria hostage for years. Rather than rally other progressive forces behind the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Umaru elected to dine and hobnob with those who are hellbent on frustrating the President from actualising his mission and vision for the country.
So, it happened that the people of Niger East Senatorial district bided their time in agony. They plotted and waited for him to indicate interest in seeking a return ticket to the senate in 2019. And, expectedly, he showed interest. While he felt that one good turn deserves another, his people felt otherwise: one bad turn deserves another, actually. And this they showed him when he lost the APC senatorial primaries conducted by an electoral panel sent by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in the presence of INEC officials.
The margin of loss was so high that it reverberated across the two other senatorial zones in the state. The people celebrated his loss like they won a jackpot whose proceeds would last them a lifetime. As the people were still excitedly drunk in the loss of Senator Umaru, like a thief in the night, Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the APC, upturned the loss and made Umaru, the beneficiary of what is now a stolen mandate.
Without mincing words, except the party does the needful by returning the ticket to the rightful winner Alhaji Mohammed Sani Musa (313), APC is set to lose the election in 2019. Overturning an election that was conducted in compliance with rules and regulations with a winner announced and sealed by Oshiomhole must be the greatest daylight robbery Nigerians have ever witnessed in the annals of the political history of the country.”
When all efforts to get the national leadership of the party to reverse this undemocratic decision failed and having exhausted all necessary avenue, the legal team of Alhaji Mohammed Sani Musa (313) then approached the Federal High Court challenging the action of the National Leadership.
Trusting his calibre and his acumen, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Musa (313), strong, and irrepressible voice that can be heard and respected on the hallowed chamber of the National Assembly come 2019. According to him: “I am going to give responsible and responsive representation; the people will begin to feel my impact immediately I am elected. “I will not be in the Senate to ask why the Inspector General of Police did not appear before me. I will not be in the Senate to ask why the Controller General of Nigerian Customs is not wearing uniform. “My first assignment when I become senator is to make sure the Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission takes off; the president has already signed the bill into law.”
