Katsina ADC Crisis Deepens As Ex-SSS DG Rejects Consensus Deal

A former Director-General of the State Security Service, Lawal Daura, has rejected the process adopted by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to produce its candidates in Katsina State, insisting that he remains in the governorship race.

Naija News reports that Daura, who addressed his supporters in Katsina on Sunday, dismissed reports that the party had produced a governorship candidate through a consensus arrangement.

He also denied claims that he had agreed to drop his governorship ambition and contest for the Daura Senatorial District seat.

“I entered the race for the governorship from the outset, and I have not changed that position. I remain fully committed to my aspiration,” he said.

His position came days after another governorship aspirant and former Secretary to the Katsina State Government, Mustapha Inuwa, rejected the process and alleged that no valid primary election was conducted in the state.

The former intelligence chief said the process that led to the reported emergence of candidates did not comply with the Electoral Act and the internal guidelines of the ADC.

According to him, aspirants had consistently demanded that the party should either conduct a proper consensus arrangement accepted by all stakeholders or hold direct primaries in line with the law.

“We have consistently maintained that the process must follow the provisions of the law, either through a properly conducted consensus arrangement or through direct primary elections. We are still waiting for that process to be concluded in a transparent manner,” Daura said.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the way consultations among governorship aspirants were handled, saying those involved were not properly informed about how the alleged consensus was reached.

“There have been claims that a consensus was achieved, but none of the five aspirants has been clearly informed of the process that produced such an outcome,” he said.

Daura added that meetings involving senior leaders of the party failed to provide enough details on the outcome of reconciliation efforts among aspirants and stakeholders.

“As a community leader and elder, I cannot endorse any process that lacks fairness and transparency. Due process must be followed,” he said.

Ex-SSS Boss Threatens Court Action

Daura warned that he may take legal steps if the party fails to comply with the law in determining its governorship candidate in Katsina State.

He said the law must be followed in the interest of fairness, internal democracy and the credibility of the party’s nomination process.

“If the law is not complied with, one of the things to do is to go to court and make sure that it is enforced,” he said.

The former SSS boss also hinted that he and his supporters could review their political position if efforts to resolve the dispute fail to produce a fair and acceptable outcome.

“Another option is probably to have some realignment and review our position and the way we move forward,” he said.

Despite the controversy surrounding the primary, Daura maintained that he remained committed to his governorship ambition.

He said Katsina State needed capable leadership to tackle its worsening security and economic challenges.

“Katsina State is in dire need of rescue, security-wise, economy-wise and in every respect. We are indigenes of Katsina and we have what it takes to salvage and rescue our people,” he said.

Daura further described himself as qualified for the office, saying his decision to seek the governorship was driven by his love for Katsina State and his desire to serve the people.

“I am qualified, even overqualified, for the position. My decision to seek the governorship is because of my love for Katsina State and my desire to rescue my people,” he said.

Daura’s rejection of the exercise has deepened the crisis within the ADC in Katsina State.

Last week, Inuwa also faulted the candidate selection process, alleging that no valid primary election was held in the state.

The former SSG said aspirants were initially told that candidates would emerge either through consensus or primary elections, but later discovered that a small committee had been used to assess and rank aspirants.

He called for fresh primaries and urged the national leadership of the ADC to revisit the process in the interest of justice and party unity.

Reacting to complaints arising from the party’s primaries across the country, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, admitted that the exercise was not perfect but insisted that the shortcomings were not enough to discredit the entire process.

“We are the first to admit that what we did was not perfect. There was no way it would have been perfect,” Abdullahi said.

He explained that the party was conducting what amounted to a nationwide election for the first time, adding that some operational challenges were expected.

However, he maintained that the errors recorded during the process were not enough to invalidate the exercise.

“Whatever mistakes have happened are not sufficient enough to invalidate the credibility of the entire process,” he said.

On the crisis in Katsina, Abdullahi said no official result had been announced because appeals arising from the exercise were still under consideration.

“No result of the primary has been officially announced as I speak with you because there are still a lot of these issues on appeal,” he said.

He added that the party would take necessary action if cases of wrongdoing or manipulation are proven.

“Where there are clear wrongdoing or clear manipulation, the party will not hesitate to invalidate the outcome of the election,” Abdullahi said.