Bashir Sheriff Machina, All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial candidate for Yobe North, has threatened to drag the party to court for removing his name on the list forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Gatekeepers News reports that Machina was announced the winner of the primary conducted in Yobe North but the name of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan was submitted as the candidate for the Yobe North Senatorial district in the 2023 elections.
Lawan had contested for the presidency at the recently concluded Special Convention and Presidential Primary of the party while Machina had participated in the Senatorial Primary Election in Yobe and emerged the winner.
Machina on Friday during a press conference stressed that he remained the candidate of APC in the senatorial district and appealed to the party to correct the omission of his name or face legal action.
He said: “In the list sent to INEC, my name was found to be misrepresented. I don’t know whether it was erroneous, my name was not in the list of the names that was said to be presented today to INEC. For the avoidance of doubt, I remain the candidate duly elected of the APC Yobe North zone C senatorial zone.
“I am the elected candidate; I did not withdraw for anybody and will not withdraw because as a matter of right that is the mandate given to me by members of our great party, the delegates. So surreptitiously removing my name, I consider, is very undemocratic, illegal and of course inhuman.
“In sha Allah, I will take measures, first by reminding and appealing to my party that if this action is truly done, it should be corrected, especially if it is erroneously done. We are actually seeking for redress from the National Working Committee of our party under the able leadership of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the national chairman, that there is an anomaly and we need it to be corrected.
“I remain the candidate and it remains so. I hope our leadership will take the necessary measures. We will work hard to exploit and explore all the necessary channels as provided by our guidelines. In the event of the contrary, as Nigerian citizens and as law-abiding citizens, the constitution of our country is the overall law above every aspect of our lives as Nigerians, I would have no choice but to resort to court (legal) action.
“This is what I attend to inform Nigerians through this medium, that an abnormality and illegality is about taking place, and it is undemocratic. This is a democratic party. It is always the will of the people that is supreme and the greatest justification of the will of the people is by casting their votes, as they did to elect me. This is a confidence reposed on me by the electorate in my senatorial district and this is the most minimal challenge I will face to defend their right.”
