By Emmanuel Aziken

Erstwhile minister of state for health and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship aspirant in Bauchi State, Dr. Ali Pate has rejected the outcome of the primaries saying it was skewed by the state authorities in favour of Awal Jatau who was declared winner.

Pate in a statement articulating his rejection of the process that led to the declaration of Jatau as winner articulated two major grounds for his assertion including harassment and intimidation and secondly, that the process was inconclusive before the declaration of a winner.

Pate in a statement made available to Vanguard last night said: “We observed that delegates were coerced into voting the alleged predetermined winner. The initial organization of the election clearly indicated an effort to identify which delegates voted or did not vote for the predetermined candidate, and was reinforced by creating fear of repercussion if the delegates did not choose the candidate.”

“We are curious that the results of five local government areas were summarily rejected and excluded in the computation of the votes, even while there were significant unresolved issues regarding the casting of those votes.”

“Section 19 (k) of the party guidelines for primary elections provides for a Modified Secret Ballot otherwise known as the Open Secret Ballot. Unfortunately, delegates were deliberately crowded and clustered as to make the secret ballot completely impossible. It is hard to believe that five local government delegates numbering about 2000 or more persons could be asked to assemble at the same time to cast their ballots without the possibility of a delegate protruding into what the other is doing.

Opportunity was provided for others to tout, induce and even collect ballot papers of others to write on their behalf. Appointed Local Government caretaker chairmen (example Alkaleri L.G.A. Caretaker Chairman) and other elected representatives (example Dambam House of Assembly member) were openly seen to collect and fill the ballot papers of several delegates with the name of the predetermined winner of the primary election.”

“Other corroborative indications that the predetermined candidate received hundreds of millions of Naira to induce delegates. It is unfortunate that even the opposition APC in Bauchi State was successfully infiltrated in an anti-democratic manner.

Bauchi State is facing great challenges, including dwindling economic performance, rising poverty, poor education, high unemployment, rising insecurity indicative of failed politics in the State. PDP as a party was supposed to offer a level playing field for emergence of credible candidates in order to successfully compete and offer good governance for the development of the state after winning election.

”We hope that our complaints will resonate with national leadership of the party and that Justice will be done for members of the party in Bauchi and the people of the state.”