A former Minister of Transport, Sa’idu Alkali, has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s governorship primary in Gombe State, alleging irregularities and violations of electoral laws.
Mr Alkali announced his withdrawal just hours after addressing a rally in Gombe.
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In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Umar Jibrin, Mr Alkali said his decision to boycott the primary scheduled for Thursday followed what he described as a loss of confidence in the credibility of the exercise.
The former minister said although he had fulfilled all requirements to contest, including purchasing nomination forms and scaling the party’s screening process, recent developments during the APC House of Representatives and Senate primaries in parts of the state forced him to reconsider his participation.
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He alleged that the primaries conducted in Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye, Billiri/Balanga Federal Constituencies and the Gombe Central Senatorial District were marred by manipulation and lacked transparency.
According to him, the exercises did not reflect democratic standards and failed to comply with provisions of the Electoral Act guiding direct primaries.
“The results were allegedly manufactured without the conduct of any genuine election process,” the statement said.
The governorship aspirant further claimed that the primaries were characterised by the absence of electoral materials, inadequate logistics, lack of inclusiveness and denial of equal opportunities to contestants.
He said the outcome of the exercises had created distrust among party members and weakened public confidence in the internal democratic process of the party in the state.
Mr Alkali maintained that participating in the forthcoming governorship primary under such circumstances would amount to endorsing a flawed process.
Despite his withdrawal, the former minister reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC and pledged continued support for the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also appealed to the national leadership of the party to cancel disputed primaries and constitute a fresh committee to conduct credible, fair and transparent elections in line with the Constitution, Electoral Act and party guidelines.
The senator thanked his supporters and residents of Gombe State for remaining calm and steadfast amid what he called “ongoing injustices against democratic practice.”
He also prayed for peace, unity and democratic fairness in Gombe State and Nigeria at large.
Mr Alkali is the second high-profile aspirant and former minister to withdraw from the primary in Gombe State, wher Governor Muhammadu Yahaya is rounding up his second term.
Earlier on Tuesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported that former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, pulled out of the exercise, alleging violations of the Electoral Act 2026, the party’s failure to provide a channel of communication ahead of the contest and several other reasons.
