By: Yusuf Salihu Sansani
Senator Emmanuel Bwacha has won a controversial APC rerun Primary Election in Taraba State conducted at the Shield Hotel Jalingo with overwhelming victory.
Emmanuel Bwacha who is the sole candidate scored Seven hundred and seventy eight (778) votes out of the Seven hundred and ninety one (791) vote cast to clinched the Gubernatorial ticket of the Party.
Declaring the results, Chairman of the Electoral Panel of the Primaries from the National Headquarters of the APC, Genaral Tukur Burutai retired said Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf who was among those who boycotted the rerun Primaries got five (5) votes while eight (8)votes were voided.
READ MORE: Ishaku, Shiddi faceoff takes new turn as APC Taraba alleges intimidation
General Tukur Burutai said the Electoral Panel followed due process in the conduct of the election from accreditation to voting, counting and declaration of results.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after his declaration as the winner, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha committed his victory to the glory of God saying it is an indication of his credibility which shows that the people at home are actually with him.
Bwacha also said the refusal of his co-contestants to take part in the election was out of the fear of defeat noting that “once you don’t partake in any electoral process you can’t challenge its result”. He further said that “if I were in their shoes I would have been here to contest”.
Senator Bwacha accused the Taraba State Government for fueling the problems in the APC in Taraba State by doing everything possible to prevent the APC from Fielding Governorship candidate in the State. He said his doors are open for dialogue with the other aspirants and that they are welcome at anytime.
Although the APC controversial Governotorial rerun Primaries in Taraba State has come and gone but the final result of the saga in the APC in Taraba State only time will tell as the other aspirants David Sabo Kente DSK, Engineer Sale Mamman the immediate past Minister for Power, a former Head of Service of the Federation Danladi Kifasi, Senator Anthony Manzo and Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf boycotted the Primaries as according to them the Supreme Court which nullified the earlier purported primary election of the party in the State did not give room for any rerun Primary Election by the APC in Taraba State.
It could be recalled that two of the aspirants, David Sabo Kente and Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf separately went to court challenging the declaration of Senator Emmanuel Bwacha as the Governorship Candidate of the party by an earlier Electoral Panel from the National Headquarters of the APC which lingered up to the Suppreme Court that eventually nullified the declaration in the case between Bwacha and DSK while the judgement of the case between Yusuf A. Yusuf is fixed for tomorrow Monday February 13th, 2023. At the Supreme Court in Abuja, which from all indication it’s not yet over. More worrisome the State Scretariat of the Party is engulfed in Myriads of challenges.
The DSK faction recently orchestrated the removal of the State Chairman of the Party Barrister Tukur Elsudi and brought in his Deputy James Amadu as the acting Chairman while the Bwacha faction still retains Tukur Elsudi as the Chairman thereby adding more wounds to the injury in the APC in Taraba State.
