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By Myke Agunwa
At least one person has been confirmed dead on Wednesday following chaos that arose during the All Progressives Congress (APC) council primaries in Bwari Area Council, Abuja over delegates list.
A video which was seen by pointblanknews.com showed a body being taken into a car at the venue of the primary election.
“Quickly, put him inside the car” a voice was heard directing, as the body was being moved into a waiting vehicle.
Another video also surfaced where the Chairman of the APC, Bwari Area Council is Musa Dikko rejected the delegate list that was brought by the team that came from the party’s national secretariat to conduct the primary election.
“I want us to be sincere to ourselves. I have told you categorically, you either take my words or you go ahead and do the election but I have spoken as the party chairman.
“Before that, someone is saying that I am not eligible to talk here. I have been party chairman for more than 11 years.
“So oga I am telling you, the list that we are talking about, I want to say between God and man because tomorrow, even if I am no longer the party chairman or I die, God will ask me. You people should judge your conscience. It is not about money that is involved….” At this point the situation became chaotic and voices from the background were echoing “we will not accept any list from phone…” they repeated severally.
A source within the party alleged that the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, submitted a controversial delegates list for the Bwari Area Council primary election which party members rejected.
The situation reportedly escalated when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was said to have accepted the disputed list, allegedly sent to them by the APC leadership, leading to chaos, violence and physical assault.
“INEC has allegedly been compromised by APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, who is now reportedly providing the list of delegates for the Bwari Area Council local government election. Aspirants and legitimate delegates have unanimously rejected the alleged fake list submitted through the APC Local Council Chairman,” the source said.
Reacting to the development, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka said, ‘I am currently not in Abuja at the moment. Thank you.”
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh could not confirm the situation but said “I will call to confirm as I am out of town at the moment, but let me confirm and get back to you”.
Recall that some APC stakeholders in the federal capital territory (FCT) had last week, rejected the outcome of the party’s delegates list ahead of Wednesday’s council primaries.
Party executives and leaders from the six area councils accused organisers of manipulating the process, alleging widespread irregularities, violence, and imposition of delegates across the 62 wards in the nation’s capital.
At a meeting held in Abuja on Monday, Zephaniah Jisalo, minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, met with aggrieved members to calm tensions and promised to engage the APC national leadership on the issue.
The stakeholders alleged that a high-ranking member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is a close ally of Nyesom Wike, FCT minister, but whose name was not mentioned, was interfering in the delegate selection process.