Katsina APC stalwarts accuse Masari of manipulating ward congress, threaten court action

Some leaders of the Katsina State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have accused Governor Bello Masari of manipulating Saturday’s congress in the North-West state.
To them, no ward election was conducted in the state.
Therefore, they have threatened to go to court if any result was released.
Led by Abdulkadir Damale and Hassan Isah, the leaders claimed in a statement on Sunday in Katsina that congresses were not carried out in the state.
“We wish to draw the attention of the national leadership of the APC that no ward congress was conducted in Katsina State.
“In Katsina State, the electoral officials sent from the national headquarters of the party were hijacked by officials of the state government.
“These state government officials sat in the Government House and other undesignated venues and filled the result sheets with the names of people selected by government officials .
“We, therefore, reject any purported release of result as an outcome of the ward congress.
“We are calling on the APC national headquarters to set-up a committee to investigate this illegality,” the statement added.
It said that setting up a committee to investigate what happened was the only way to restore public confidence and ensure the support of party members ahead of next year’s election.
“We are prepared to proceed to the court if any result is announced,” the APC stalwarts warned.
Contacted, Mr Mohammed Tanko, chairman of the ward congress election committee in Katsina State, dismissed the claims that no election was held in the state.
“We actually conducted elections in all the 34 local governments; the turn out was massive and we ensured that all aspirants were given equal opportunities.
“Since we arrived, we have not visited the Government House; allegations that we sat at the Government House and wrote names of government cronies are mere lies.
“Those making the allegations are suffering from inferior complex and may not even have come out to contest for any post. They merely want to smear our names,” he said.
Tanko said that a committee had been set up to listen to complaints by aggrieved members and advised those not satisfied to lodge their petitions.