A governorship aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Katsina State, Mustapha Inuwa, has rejected the party’s candidate selection process in the state.
Mr Inuwa, former Secretary to the Katsina State Government, alleged that no valid primary election was conducted and called for fresh primaries for all elective positions.
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Mr Inuwa made the allegations on Saturday while addressing supporters drawn from the state’s 34 local government areas in Katsina.
“As far as Katsina is concerned, primaries were not conducted,” he said.
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The aspirant argued that the process departed from procedures earlier agreed upon by aspirants and party stakeholders.
He urged the state and national leadership of the ADC to convene a meeting of aspirants, stakeholders and officials to address the dispute and organise fresh primaries.
How the candidates emerged
According to Mr Inuwa, aspirants were initially informed that candidates would emerge either through consensus endorsed by registered party members or through primary elections.
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He narrated that a six-member committee was later constituted to assess governorship aspirants and recommend a candidate.
The committee announced scores, with former Senator Ahmed Kaita scoring the highest while Mr Inuwa placed second.
Mr Inuwa questioned the basis of the assessment, saying aspirants were not informed of the criteria used.
“You are not being fair to the people of Katsina. More than eight million people cannot have their governorship candidate chosen by six people,” he said.
He argued that transferring responsibility for selecting candidates to a small committee contradicted democratic principles and denied party members the opportunity to choose who would represent them.
Alleged irregularities
Mr Inuwa further stated that he reported the matter to a party electoral committee, which reviewed the process and concluded it did not conform to expected procedures.
Aspirants then agreed to hold primary elections if reconciliation failed and began preparations, but the plan was later abandoned, he claimed.
Mr Inuwa maintained that his objections were not directed at any individual aspirant but at what he described as a flawed process.
He pledged to support any candidate who emerges from a transparent and lawful primary.
“Whoever wins the primaries, we will work for him and give all the support necessary to ensure victory,” he said.
Mr Inuwa said he and his associates joined the ADC expecting a platform that upholds democratic values and offers meaningful change.
ADC responds
Responding to concerns, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi acknowledged shortcomings but defended the process.
“We are the first to admit that what we did was not perfect. There was no way it would have been perfect,” Mr Abdullahi told PREMIUM TIMES.
He noted that the party was conducting what amounted to a nationwide election for the first time.
“No political party in the history of Nigeria has attempted what we have done before. There are bound to be lapses,” he said.
Mr Abdullahi, however, maintained that any shortcomings recorded during the exercise were insufficient to invalidate the entire process.
On the situation in Katsina, he said no official result had yet been announced because appeals arising from the exercise were still being considered.
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He added that “Where there are clear wrongdoing or clear manipulation, the party will not hesitate to invalidate the outcome of the election,” he said.
Calls for fresh primaries
Mr Inuwa called on the party to organise fresh primaries for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly positions, saying adherence to due process and internal democracy would be critical to the party’s prospects.
Election timetable controversy
Mr Inuwa’s demand comes amid uncertainty over the Electoral Act 2026 and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable.
INEC set a 30 May deadline for primaries and has warned that candidates emerging from later exercises risk disqualification.
The commission maintains that its timetable remains binding despite a Federal High Court ruling questioning aspects of the shortened timelines, which it has appealed.
It remains unclear whether fresh primaries can be accommodated within the timeline recognised by INEC.
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