PDP holds mini congresses as court orders fresh governorship primary in Zamfara

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara has conducted mini ward and LGs congresses which include women in the delegates expected to participate in the Sept. 23 fresh governorship primary election.

This is in compliance with a Federal High Court order which nullified the previous exercise by the party.

The Party’s new state Chairman, Dr. Ahmad Sani, disclosed this to newsmen in Gusau on Thursday.

Sani said the mini congresses were held in all 147 wards and 14 LGs to elect female delegates to meet the gender balance requirement as ordered by the Justice Aminu Bappah-Aliyu of the Federal High Court ruling.

The Federal High Court on Sept.16 granted the prayers of plaintiffs in a suit brought before it is contesting the emergence of Dr. Dauda Lawal-Dare as the Governorship candidate of the party.

The court nullified the election and ordered fresh primaries even as it ordered for the inclusion of at least one woman among the wards and LGs delegates.

The party chairman, however, said the congresses were simultaneously going on in all the wards, assuring that the conduct was peaceful.

According to him, the contestants in the governorship primary remained the same as they include Alhaji Dauda Lawan-Dare, Ibrahim Shehu, Hafiz Nahuche, and Wadatau Madawaki.

Earlier, the Bungudu Local Government Party Chairman, Nura Abdullahi, confirmed to newsmen that already one from each of the ward’s three delegates had resigned to create a vacancy for the emergence of a female delegate.

He said the process would be completed and results forwarded to the state party secretariat ahead of the Governorship primary election scheduled for Friday.

Recall that Alhaji Dauda Lawal-Dare on May 26, 2022, emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2023 general poll in Zamfara.

Mr Adamu Maina-Waziri, the Returning Officer for the primaries, declared the result in Gusau, where Lawal-Dare polled 431 votes to win the ticket.

Maina-Waziri said Dr. Ibrahim Shehu came second with five votes while Alhaji Wadatau Madawaki placed third with three votes.

A Federal High Court on Sept.16, however, granted the prayers of the aggrieved contestants and nullified the primary election, citing irregularities in the process.

Justice Bappah-Aliyu in his ruling, also faulted the exclusion of women in the delegates that participated in the May 26 exercise.

He, therefore, ordered a fresh process that would include at least one woman from each ward.