Citizens Action To Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN) has released a report on the broad daylight robbery of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bauchi State. Mr Rights present the full report
THE CASE OF USMAN ABUBAKAR TUGGA: POLITICAL & ELECTORAL CORRUPT PRACTICES PERPETRATED BY APC. – Political Corruption report by Media Unit of CATBAN
With the avalanche of crisis rocking the APC across multiple states, one may be forced to ask if truly APC was ready for the conduct of the 2019 elections or the late coming in of Adams Oshiomhole into office as National Chairman of the ruling party may be part of the reasons behind the brewing and stubborn crisis!
It all started from the drama that took place in the party’s National Convention at Abuja. We saw how Governors were shielding top members the chance to participate in the process of electing the National Officials.
Observers are tracing the origin of the crisis in APC from the issues that soiled the working relationship between the Legislators in the National Assembly and the Executives. The offshoot of the feud between National Assembly and the Executives resulted to massive interparty exodus of members. The next crisis that send wrong signals on the ugly things to come was choice of method of the primary elections, direct or indirect.
This almost divided the party into two camps across the states. Again, high cost of nomination forms was another ugly development that chopped up part of APC popularity among the Nigerian masses. As if all these were not enough for the APC to have a rethink, Tinubu and his Lagos APC launched their own brand of anti internal party democracy by way of scheming out the sitting Governor Ambode whom Lagos people believed have done impressively well.
The reports of primary elections with regards to use of money in most states that conducted the primary election via indirect method was also a thing of concern. The worst of the crisis is the recent development where results were being changed, contestants that won were being replaced openly by those that failed woefully. This development is one reason that is slowing down the process of submission of names of party candidates to INEC and for sure, INEC is hitting hard on all political parties.
In a recent report compiled by Premium Times, the INEC was quoted laying emphasis thus:
“The last day for submission of lists of sponsored candidates (Form CFOO2) and personal particulars (Form CF001) remains October 18 for Presidential and National Assembly and November 2 for Governorship and State Houses of Assembly,” the commission said.
“As at Tuesday night, according to the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, only eight of Nigeria’s 91 political parties have submitted the names of their candidates.
The APC, Nigeria’s governing party, is one of the parties troubled with submission of candidates lists largely due to crises in primaries conducted in some states.
Hours to the deadline, party faithful in Adamawa, Zamfara, Delta and Kaduna among others are not sure who their candidates will be for certain positions.”
APC members in most states have taken to the streets to protest on the manner of injustices going on in the handling of compilation of the party primary results. Many of those that spoke to the media have lamented over the broad daylight robbery of results of winners and announcement of the wrong persons.
Contestants are out there on the different media platforms crying against what the Party and INEC officials are doing to them. Almost all the APC states are having similar complaints.
In Bauchi State, on the 3rd October 2018, when the primary election was conducted and all party members were given the opportunity to exercise their franchise, the excitement was seen in the eyes of many, as they freely elected their preferred candidates across all positions.
In Bauchi North senatorial district, Usman A Tuggar who won 7 out of the 8 local governments in the senatorial to emerge victorious, as he was seen breaming with smiles, as he greeted supporters around in excitement. However, little did he know that what the people and party members freely gave him through votes would be snatched away from him through the back door.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who also witnessed the process saw this very clearly, but surprisingly, when the winner was eventually announced by the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC, the name of another aspirant, Adamu Mohammed Bulkachuwa, who merely won one local government was announced as the candidate and as a result of this development, Bauchi North Senatorial district has been thrown into mourning and confusion.
Usman Abubakar Tugga, a younger brother to the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany has been in the progressive camp of President Muhammadu Buhari since 2006, first in ANPP, then to CPC and now APC.
In a letter to APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole on 9th October 2018, Usman who attached copies of the election result demand justice from the party. ‘’I demand that justice be done, as I believe this is what our movement stands for’’ he said.
Below is a table of the result of the elections:
ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS 2018
SENATORIAL PRIMARY ELECTION RESULT SHEET SUMMARY
BAUCHI NORTH
LGA: ITAS/GADAU
S/N NAME OF CANDIDATE VOTES SCORED
1. ADAMU MOHD BULKACHUWA 6,085
2. AGAJI UDUBO 1,054
3. USMAN ABUBAKAR TUGGA 14,089
4. ABDULKADIR ADAMU ISAWA 1,603
5. DR. WAZIRI DOGO 1,073
LGA: GAMAWA
1.ABDULKADIR ADAMU ISAWA 314
2.MAGAJI DUWA 3,438
3.DR. WAZIRI DOGA 342
4.ALH. ADAMU BULKACHUWA 234
5. USMAN ABUBAKAR TUGGA 20,096
LGA: ZAKI
1. DR. ABUBAKAR ADAMU ISAWA 331
2.ALH. ADAMU MUHAMMAD BULKACHUWA804
3.USMAN ABUBAKAR TUGGA 12,280
4. MAGAJI MUHAMMAD UDUBO 318
5.DR. WAZIRI DOGO MUHAMMED 339
LGA: JAMA’ARE
1. DR. WAZIRI DOGO M. 803
2.ALH. USMAN TUGGA 948
3. MAGAJI MUHAMMAD D. 643
4.ALH. AM BULKACHUWA 388
5. DR. ABDULKADIR ISAWA 498
LGA: GIADE
1.ADAMU BULKACHUWA 1,539
2.ABDULKADIR ADAMU 4,201
3. USMAN ABUBAKAR T. 5,878
4.DR. WAZIRI DOGO 569
5.MAGAJI UDUBO 169
LGA: SHIRA
1.USMAN ABUBAKAR TUGGA 11,739
2.ADAMU MUHAMMED BULKACHUWA 367
3. ALH. ABDUKADIR ISAWA 367
4.DR. WAZIRI DOGO 307
5.MAGAJI MOHAMMED DUWA 211
6.ADEBO GWONI 257
LGA: KATAGUM
1. ADAMU BULKACHUWA 7,263
2.DR. ABDULKADIR A. ISAWA 473
3.DR. BELLO WAZIRI 200
4.ALH. USMAN TUGGA 6,278
5.ALH. MAGAJI DUWA 369
A brief investigation shows that, the person Adamu Moh'd. Bulkachuwa who was fraudulently announced as candidate of APC for Bauchi North senatorial district is the husband of Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, President of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal.
Many believed that the decision of APC to illegally hand over Bauchi North senatorial ticket to Bulkachuwa after obviously losing the election is to compensate Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa for the job she may be expected to do for the APC after the 2019 general election. This is said to be very important because her son, had also contested and lost the APC ticket in Gombe state.
A lot of people have been asking, why is APC bent on killing APC in Bauchi State and other parts of the country? This is so because, apart from the fact that the legitimate winner was substituted for no justifiable reason, the man who was given the ticket is very unpopular and allowing such an unpopular candidate fly the party’s ticket only means that the party is deliberately shooting itself in the foot and unless the APC plans to rig the 2019 election, there is absolutely no way Adamu could win an election in Bauchi North.
A close associate of the Governor in the state also confided that the injustice done to Tuggar amounts to interference by those who know nothing about the implication of their action. He explained further that it is politically wrong because Usman Abubakar Tuggar’s candidacy stand to balance the political power distribution in the state. He is from Gamawa LGA being one of the 7 LGAs within Bauchi North Senatorial Zone and Gamawa has the 2nd largest vote in Bauchi State, yet without any top political appointee. The Minister, Deputy Governor and now Senator are all from Azare Katagum Local Government.
The nomination of Usman Abubakar Tugga is also case of history repeating itself, because in 2011, he was also nominated as the candidate under CPC!
Usman Abubakar Tugga who has lived and given his valuable assets and time building APC alongside the President Buhari from all the historic political platforms and ideology, he sees no reason that he will be the victim of injustice. As such, he is demanding justice and the mandate given to him by the people. He wants the APC national leadership to quickly look into the matter and return his stolen mandate to him