APC PRIMARY FALLOUT IN GURARA/SULEJA/TAFA: STAKEHOLDER FAULTS TAGWAI ROLE
The fallout from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in the Gurara, Suleja and Tafa Federal Constituency of Niger State is still generating debate among voters, particularly over the role played by political actors from Gurara Local Government Area.
Speaking on the primary, a political stakeholder from Gurara, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed, described the exercise as fraudulent and criticized the decision of former Niger State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Yusuf Tagwai, to enter the race.
Representing, Gurara, Suleja and Tafa Federal Constituency
According to Dr Ibrahim, stakeholders in Gurara, in agreement with the two other local government areas in the federal constituency, had resolved to support the candidature of Hon. Haruna Abubakar Arafat Magaji from Gurara, in line with the constituency’s zoning arrangement.
He said Hon. Tagwai, who is also from Gurara, later joined the contest unexpectedly. While acknowledging that Tagwai has the constitutional right to vote and be voted for, Dr Ibrahim claimed that many in the constituency viewed his entry as a ploy allegedly sponsored by the incumbent House of Representatives member, Rt. Hon. Adamu Tanko Lokoja from Suleja, to split Arafat’s votes.
former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs
Dr Ibrahim said Tagwai later stepped down when it became clear he could not achieve it’s goal
He further alleged that sponsors of the move, believing that Arafat, whom he described as the “Jagaban of Gurara, Suleja and Tafa Federal Constituency politics,” would have won a free primary, opted instead for what he called a fraudulent primary process. That process initially favoured Rt. Hon. Lokoja, before the APC National Working Committee replaced him with Hon. Lado Abubakar as the party’s candidate.
Following the primary, Dr Ibrahim noted that photos of Rt. Hon. Lokoja and Hon. Tagwai circulated widely on social media. He claimed Tagwai is now lobbying for a commissioner appointment, having believed he had completed his assignment, and questioned what his next political move would be now that the NWC had dropped his alleged preferred candidate for Hon. Abubakar.
Dr Ibrahim appealed to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago to initiate a comprehensive reconciliation process to heal divisions caused by what he called the most controversial primary in the constituency’s history.
He also urged the governor not to appoint politicians he accused of betraying the constituency to the state cabinet, saying residents of Gurara, Suleja and Tafa are yet to recover from the outcome of the primary.
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