TMG to INEC: Resist moves to overturn APC Yobe north senatorial primary outcome

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a civil society organisation (CSO), says it will be “injustice” if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reverses the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Yobe north senatorial primary.

Bashir Machina was declared winner of the senatorial primary conducted in May, but the APC had listed Senate President Ahmad Lawan as its candidate for the senatorial district.

Lawan, who had contested the APC presidential ticket and lost in June, was said to have participated in another senatorial primary.

Meanwhile, when INEC published the list of candidates in August, no candidate was listed for APC for Yobe north senatorial district.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Auwal Musa, TMG chairman, the group said there had been reports that there were moves to reverse the outcome of the primary to favour Lawan.

“While we monitor with keen interest the emerging development around the electoral sphere ahead of 2023, we are committed to ensuring full implementation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, to restore electoral credibility and integrity at all levels,” the statement reads.

“We are not unaware of the alleged overall objective triggering the latest position by INEC to upturn the primary in favour of the incumbent Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, whose participation in the Senatorial primary has been disqualified by the provisions of Electoral Act, for his involvement at the same time as a candidate of Presidential Primary, where he contested and lost,” the statement reads.

“Just as we are worried by the cross-carpet impunity in some political parties that deliberately reversed victories or allowed dubious re-runs in favour of some candidates who had contested and lost their primaries under separate seats.

“We find the tactical pursuit of injustice and impunity through judicial institution displayed in an Affidavit dated August 11, 2022 filed before the Federal High Court in Damaturu, Yobe state, as tantamount to probable disobedience to the sanity and sanctity of the provisions of Electoral Act and betray of public trust.

“Given the recent development in the electoral sphere, we are more concerned by the readiness of INEC to maintain required competence and neutrality to deliver free, fair and credible elections in 2023.

“We observed with serious condemnation, the deliberately created condition by the Electoral Body to upturn the outcome and victory of a democratically recognised candidate in favour of an individual, who qualifies neither within the context of Electoral Law, nor as a documented contestant in the Senatorial primary.

“We therefore call on INEC to maintain absolute neutrality and respect for the rule of law in its activities at all levels, to demonstrate competence and trustworthiness to secure integrity and public trust in the 2023 general elections.

“We also call for the immediate prosecution by relevant authorities, of all upturned primaries of various political parties in favour of selected candidates, who had been disqualified by the Electoral Act for contesting under separate seats.”

Meanwhile, the development comes days after a letter surfaced, claiming that Machina had withdrawn from contesting the election.

However, Machina had denied writing the letter, describing the document as “forged”.