Bashir Machina, winner of the Yobe North primary of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the senatorial district has appealed to the party to erase the name of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as its candidate.
Mr Machina rebuffed appeals to step down for Mr Lawan after the later who was declared the consensus candidate of the ruling party for its presidential ticket lost to Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor.
Despite his refusal, the APC uploaded the name of the top lawmaker who did not participate in the primary exercise won by Machina to the servers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Friday evening, after writing to the commission on Thursday, choosing Lawan over the winner of the primary.
Addressing journalists in Abuja Friday night, the senatorial candidate of the party threatened to seek legal redress if the misrepresentation is not corrected to stop his mandate from being stolen from him.
“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,” Mr Machina said. “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 human.
“Insha 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 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.”
