Katsina ADC Governorship Aspirant Rejects Candidate Selection Process

A governorship aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Katsina State, Mustapha Inuwa, has turned down the party's candidate selection process in the state.

Mr Inuwa, who was the Secretary to the Katsina State Government, claimed that no valid primary election took place and called for new primaries for all elective positions.

He made these claims on Saturday while speaking to supporters from the 34 local government areas in Katsina.

"As far as Katsina is concerned, primaries were not conducted," he said.

The aspirant argued that the process did not follow the procedures agreed upon by aspirants and party leaders.

He urged both the state and national leadership of the ADC to hold a meeting with aspirants, stakeholders, and officials to resolve the issue and plan fresh primaries.

How the Candidates Were Chosen

According to Mr Inuwa, aspirants were told that candidates would come either through a consensus supported by registered party members or through primary elections.

He explained that a six-member committee was later set up to evaluate governorship aspirants and recommend a candidate.

The committee shared scores, with former Senator Ahmed Kaita having the highest score while Mr Inuwa came second.

Mr Inuwa questioned how the committee made its assessment, saying aspirants were not told 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 giving a small committee the job of selecting candidates went against democratic principles and took away the chance for party members to choose their representatives.

Allegations of Irregularities

Mr Inuwa also mentioned that he reported the situation to a party electoral committee, which looked into the process and decided it did not follow the expected rules.

Aspirants then agreed to hold primary elections if reconciliation did not work out and began to prepare, but that plan was later dropped, he claimed.

Mr Inuwa insisted that his concerns were not aimed at any individual aspirant, but at what he called a flawed process.

He promised to support any candidate who comes 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 added that he and his team joined the ADC hoping for a platform that values democracy and brings real change.

ADC's Response

In response to the concerns, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi recognized some issues but defended the selection 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 pointed out that the party was holding what was like 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 the shortcomings during the exercise were not enough to throw out the entire process.

Regarding the situation in Katsina, he said no official results had been announced yet because appeals from the exercise were still being looked at.

Calls for New Primaries

Mr Inuwa urged the party to organize fresh primaries for governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly positions, saying it is important to follow due process and internal democracy for the party's future.

Election Timetable Issues

Mr Inuwa's call for new primaries comes at a time of uncertainty over the Electoral Act 2026 and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable.

INEC set a deadline of 30 May for primaries and warned that candidates emerging from later exercises may face disqualification.

The commission insists that its timetable is binding despite a Federal High Court ruling questioning some parts of the shortened timelines, which it is appealing.

It is still unclear if new primaries can fit into the timeline set by INEC.