Kaduna Guber: Jalal Withdraws from Governorship Race, Says cannot context under Indirect Primaries System
Zainab Tanimu
Kaduna, North-West NIGERIA
One of the governorship aspirants under the platform of the All Progressive Party, APC Jalal Falal has declared his intention to withdraw from the race.
This declaration was made in a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat Kaduna.
Jalal stated that this was necessary because he cannot subject himself to the system of indirect primaries adopted by Kaduna state governor.
He however emphasized that his loyalty to his party APC remains unshakable as his withdrawal from the race has nothing to do with it.
In an earlier press conference held last week at the NUJ Secretariat Jalal together with his team under the auspices of the ‘All Progressive Congress State Stakeholders and Aspirants Forum’ had on behalf of his group addressed journalists on his determination to run for the seat of governor and the position of the group concerning the adoption of the indirect primaries in Kaduna state which they vehemently were against.
Their optimism expressed was that the national body of the APC would intervene and resolve the issue. More so, that there were pending issues in the court of law yet to be concluded. As it stands, the national body is yet to do something on the matter.
Jalal withdrawal from the race some political analysts see as not unconnected to the silence of the APC national body.
Some of the reasons given for objecting the indirect primaries at the first conference held read thus:
“We object the Indirect Primaries precisely because, relying as it does on the delegate system, it is by its very nature prone to the manipulative influence of the few and, what is worse, the corruptive practice of vote buying.
” It is an open secret that the APC in Kaduna State has been under the total control of the Governor and his anointed godsons and daughters.
“The bulk of the membership of the party including critical stakeholders who have given their all to enthrone APC in Kaduna State have been marginalized and excluded from the mainstream of the affairs of the party.
“Perceived enemies of the Governor are hunted and persecuted to no end. Jobs are lost, homes and businesses are demolished with careless abandon and extreme premeditated malice.
“The recent ward, local government and state congresses could rightly be said to be the icing on the cake. Officials of the party were single handedly picked by the Governor and his aides. That is, own the affairs of the party. This is the backdrop against which the mass exodus from the party by his members has been taken place in the entire 23LGA’s of Kaduna state.
When asked whether his decision to withdraw was a sign of his likelihood to leaving the APC, his answer was in the negative saying, he old in the party. He has been in the party for years and that he is going to remain in the party in order to help in entrenching its vision.
