By Muhammad Aminu
Former National Youths Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Barr Ismail Ahmed has withdrawn his aspiration to contest for Kano Central senatorial district.
Barr Ahmed announced his withdrawal on Saturday at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium, where the primary election is taking place.
A one-time presidential adviser to Buhari on Youths, Barr Ahmed, said Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje prevailed on him to withdraw from the contest earlier today, to which he obliged in the interest of the APC in the state.
Meanwhile, another aspirant and former senator representing Kano Central, Bashir Garba Lado, has accused Gov. Ganduje of manipulating the process to favour one of the aspirants.
Senator Lado alleged that Gov. Ganduje instructed party delegates and other stakeholders in the primary election to vote for his anointed aspirant, Abdulsalam Abdulkarim Zaura.
He said the conversations and instructions conveyed to delegates and other stakeholders can be retrieved from Gov. Ganduje’s and Kano State APC Chairman’s phone calls made from 11:am Saturday.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu, Inspector General of Police and other heads of security agencies to intervene to ensure a free and fair primary election is conducted to avert any possible breakdown of law and order as a result of governor’s interfere.
Like other states across Nigeria, APC in Kano is conducting primary elections for the three senatorial districts in the state, but the contest is heated in Kano Central between Gov Ganduje’s ally A. A. Zaura and Senator Lado while Aspirants for Kano South and North senatorial districts are unopposed.
