Saturday Interview

 By

 Managing Editor

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Hafiz Muhammad Nahuche is one of the PDP gubernatorial aspirants in Zamfara who contested for the post of Governor at the May 25^th 2022 but lost to Dr. Dauda Lawal. He was also among those that approached the Federal High Court Gusau to seek for nullification of the primary election on the ground of irregularities discovered. In this interview with the Managing Editor Ana’s Sani Anka, he shared his views on the primary election conducted on Friday the 23^rd of September 2022 and why believed what transpired  could not stand the position of the law.

—————————————————————What happened with you and your supporters since the Federal High Court Gusau announced the cancelation of the PDP Primaries?

Honestly, since when we have our governorship primary election nullified by the Federal High Court Gusau we were left in the dark by the party. I was not for once contacted by the party leadership neither was I involved in the arrangement leading to the conduct of another primary election.

I don’t know what I  have done to the party leadership and i told my supporters that lets wait and watch things as they unfold. I am a member of the party I put my millions of naira to secure nomination form and also passes through all the laid down procedures of the party so I know for sure i have to be carried a long in decision making regarding how to conduct fresh primaries and if anybody feels I am not important then lets watch and see.

So how do you feel when you was told that a fresh election has been rescheduled against Friday the 23rd of September 2022?

At first instance i could not believe it was true but when the notice given to the INEC went viral on the social media i had to call the Chairman of the party in the state and intimate him if it is true that the notice was from the PDP headquarters and he  confirmed it.
But i challenged him if he feels it is right for the party to scheduled another fresh primary election without consulting us as aspirants.

The response of the party Chairman is actually demonstrating that, something fishy may likely going to happened but I told my supporters to tarry for a while and wait to see the steps to be taken by the party leadership.

Notwithstanding the notice of the court processes served to the party and INEC, we wonder how the fresh primary election can be conducted but to our surprise they proceeded without recourse to following statutory procedures and without respect to the court processes served.

What is your assessment of the fresh exercise conducted on Friday?

For me what happened on Friday was not an exercise rather a child play. The leadership on its own part knew that since there is a court processes served, it is supposed to stay action but it rushed the whole exercise. Secondly the mistakes we wanted to avoid since the election was nullified shall be identified collectively with all the stakeholders and get them remedied but that was not done.

They went and planned their political arithmetics and went on without involving any one of us just because they have one of us at the back of their mind and they want him to win the election at all cost.

We are not bothered because we knew very well what they have done on Friday cannot stand the position of the law so we followed them to the logical conclusion.

Tell us what exactly have they done which is against the law?

My agent for instance was barricaded from entering the premises of the party primaries and while he was to stand by me as representative he was stopped by armed political thugs at the entry of the venue until when I have to come personally. Even when I came to the venue myself, i was also denied entry by the same group of thugs not until when i went to secure police reinforcement before i was aided into the venue.

on reaching the venue, the election was ongoing and  i have to call the attention of the Chairman on the existing court processes served on the party as well as the refusal of the party to involved the right stakeholders and again the response of the Chairman does not sound as if they have realized the danger ahead.

So they were all blindfolded because they want to make sure that they have delivered someone to victory even if it is against the law and because of that I asked my agent to stay on my behalf and observed clearly what may like going to transpired.

To my surprise even the tag to be used by my agent was not handed over to him until few minutes to the completion of the exercise and we became helpless having no option than to allow them do what they want to do.

So tell us what happened after?

What happened wasn’t a different story because after the election I have to secure armed policemen to get my agent out of that venue because the place was heavily militarized and at a point no one can feel safe moving freely out of that place. To be candid with you I was surprise with the action of the party leadership toward us it is purely undemocratic. We were treated as if we are not members of the party.

So i came back with my team and begin to develop another template of way forward because this is a political process we had started and we have to get to its logical end by whatever means legitimate.

But why don’t you work the option of reconciling with this anointed candidate of the party Dr. Dauda Lawal?

You see there is no political process that cannot take the path of reconciliation but that is if the person demanding for the reconciliation has taken the path of humanity also. Dr. Dauda met us in the party we were there before him but if for any reason he need to have an upper hand above all of us there are procedures and steps if at all we have the interest of Zamfara at the heart.

But because he believed he can secure an alternative ways that is out of humanity he developed these political tricks and you can see where it is taking the PDP to. We are patriotic members of the PDP and citizens of Zamfara by extension and we have to stand firm to fight injustice because that is twhat is taking Zamfara back.

But I am telling you this and let it be on record we are not going to succumb to their political threat and we shall stand firm to challenge what they are planning to do. I cannot for sure be a party to the breach of court processes and I cannot be a party to violation of the provision of the Electoral Act. I am sure even this time around the court will surely speak the right language for them.

But dont you see Dauda Lawal dumping the APC for PDP is doing a great service to the chances of your party in winning the 2023 election?

Let me ask you since you brought this issue. For sometimes now we had been raising this suspecion that Dauda may not be in the PDP truely for the progress of the party. His attitudes and action has proben the suspecion.

Can you imagine a gubernatorial candidate placing a campaign posters without party logo? this is really a suspecious move because if he is truely a  member of the PDP and he believed in the party he cannot print a poster without the party logo. Secondly, since May 25th when he left Zamfara after he was declared winner of the primaries what has he done to show that he mean well for the PDP.

We are suspecting that he is in the PDP for a mission and we shall continue to challenge his impunity till when we understand his genuine mission. We cannot surrender the party (PDP) to someone who is suspected to be having an arrangement with the ruling APC so take very good notice of this.

But what is your impression of Dauda if he succeeded finally?

You see the development is actually sending us a wrong signal that leaders are entrusted with the mandate to lead shall have moral standing grounds to take the path of honesty. I will tell you categorically tell you that, there is no way one shall trust someone who rigged primary election to be able to do the right thing when he finally succomb the leadership.

If he emerged victorious he will surrender the supremacy of the state because he does not have the good mission to be able to save the people from the social and economic crises facing the state. I believe Zamfara people need to be careful because his political despratesm is really saying bad about him

So what next for you since they have declared him winner of the election again?.

I have told you the matter is in court and we shall wait to see the end of the whole drama but write it down they shall fail because they did not follow the path of justice and fairness. There interest is to enforce on to us political impunity and take advantage of the weakness of some mindsets within the party to cause further confusion within the party. That shall not be allowed by us god willing.

One of the PDP Gubernatorial aspirants for Zamfara State Engr. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau has announced a boycott from the fresh primary elections conducted by the Party on Friday the 23rd of September 2022.

Bakauye who spoke through one of his political aides Nasiru Zabarma said he decided to boycott the primary election because the party has not complied with the laid down procedures as contained in the PDP Constitution and Electoral Guidelines of the party.

He pointed out that the primary election was not conducted in substantial compliance with the section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.

More worrisome according to him, was that, “the Chairman of the Electoral Committee announced before everyone at the venue of the primary election that he is in Gusau to conduct the governorship primary election within two hours” noting that by the chairman’s pronouncement it means the Committee is in Zamfara for a mission which is against the interest of the majority of the party members in the state.

He also said, “another concern is that, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not monitored the conduct of the fresh primary election conducted by the PDP” which he said may be as a result of the notice of the court processes served on it.

He also alleged that, there was no accreditation that took place during the exercise; hence delegates invited by the party were not allowed to undergo the usual screening to make  sure that their names in the delegate list tallies with the data contained in their Membership Cards as well as Voter’s Cards.

“The Delegates List used during the Friday’s rescheduled gubernatorial primary election by the PDP does not contain a column where membership identity number can be cross checked so that each delegate can be confirmed to be the one that voted as such anyone can bear the name as called during the voting”.

Zabarma insisted that there was no way they can proceed in an exercise that is short of legal procedures and explained that, since there is an existing suit awaiting hearing on Tuesday the 27th of September 2022 the issues raised would be determined by the court.

He insisted that, what transpired on Friday is no more than a child’s play since the Federal High Court, Gusau has already slated the matter for determination on Tuesday.

The Chairman of Zamfara Committee on Anti-Thuggery Bello Bakyasuwa Maradun has raised alarm that one of the gubernatorial aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party Dr. Dauda Lawal has conducted an unauthorized political rally which constitutes a breach of security to lives and properties of Zamfara State citizens especially those residing within Gusau metropolis the state capital.

Bakyasuwa who spoke to the Managing Editor of Thunder Blowers on Friday insisted that the action of Dr. Dauda Lawal Dare and his supporters is a clear demonstration of the fact that PDP Zamfara has no respect for the Rule of Law because even the fresh primary election conducted is against the decisions of the court which is being awaited.

“We are fully aware that the PDP has been served with Court Processes filed by one of its aspirants, Engr. Ibrahim Shehu and as law-abiding people it was expected that, they will wait until on Tuesday, 27th September,2022 when the matter came up or if they can secure any relief, then they can proceed, but they acted in total breach of the order and proceeded with their unlawful assembly causing serious confusion in the state”.

He further said, “we were fully informed that even one of their aspirants had to secure heavy police reinforcement before he can access the venue of the congress and his agent was almost molested by the thugs allegedly hired by the PDP gubernatorial candidate”.

Bakyasuwa said it was unfortunate that, after a media address at the state PDP Headquarters in Samaru Gusau on Friday, the candidate Dr. Dauda Lawal Dare allegedly drove on the major streets of Gusau with hundreds of armed thugs in his convoy intimidating and harassing innocent citizens in the name of celebrating victory.

He also accused the PDP candidate of hiring armed thugs from Sokoto who were allegedly used to harass people as inquiries were made, and it was established that the PDP State Chairman of Sokoto smuggled the thugs for Dr. Dauda Lawal in order to aid him in breaching the existing relative peace enjoyed by the people of the state.

The Chairman of Anti-Thuggery also emphasized that, as someone in charge of fighting criminal activities in the state, he would not fold his hands and allow some desperate politicians to create confusion in the state saying ”enough is enough”.

He called on the PDP Chairman of Sokoto and indeed Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal not to allow political sentiments to destroy the cordial working relationship that exists between Zamfara and Sokoto States as well as the bond of friendship that tied together Governor Bello Matawalle and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal for more than two decades now.

“I am reminding his Excellency Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to remember his age long relationship with Governor Bello Matawalle since their days at the national assembly. I urged him not to allow the cordial relationship between them to wane to sorrow because of someone’s political interest”.

“It is alarming that we saw retired Gen. Banded the gubernatorial candidate for Kebbi State and we doubt the rationale behind his coming to Zamfara since he was not among the electoral committee neither was he sent to supervise the election. It was surprising and we have to warned Kebbi PDP to also stay away from Zamfara because we are concern about our security and safety”

He also called on the Inspector General of Police to wade into Zamfara State matter and reminded the PDP to be conscious of the gigantic investment and sacrifice made in restoring peace and stay away from causing serious confusion that will jeopardize the relative existing peace in the state.

He warned the PDP, and its gubernatorial candidate, not to make any attempt to repeat what transpired on Friday, hence the government of Bello Matawalle would not cordon any action capable of breaking down law and order in the State.