By Hussaini Mohammed Baba, Maiduguri
Dr Hajiya Zainab Gimba, a former commissioner in Borno State, has emerged victorious in the House of Representative’s primary election (of the APC) held on Thursday in the ElKanemi Warriors Stadium, Maiduguri when she polled 76 votes to trounce her closest rival, Nur Sherrif who got 50 votes. Alhaji Abdulrazak scored five votes while Baba Mala Kaigama and Sule Gambo scored zero votes.
Alhaji Ahmed El-Marzuq, the chairman of the electoral committee who presided over the exercise, did not announce the winner of the election, noting that the election was inconclusive.
El-Marzuq said that the result announced was only that of Gamboru Ngala while delegates from Bama, Kala-balge were yet to cast their votes.
Reacting, Gimba, the leading contestant, said the election was marred by irregularities, intimidation and disappointment, noting that her life was under threat because she refused to withdraw for a particular candidate.
She said that she and her supporters were beaten by policemen who acted on orders from the government house.
She said “We started peacefully with four wards…suddenly we saw some police officers sent from Government house to stop the election.
“When the officer came, he told us that Governor Shettima said they should come and stop the election. When our supporters insisted that the election must hold they started beating all of us and injuring some. In fact as I am talking to you, my leg is swollen.
“I sent a message to the Borno Commissioner of Police and also called him, but he told me that the officers sent were those from the government house and were not acting under his order. When I told him, he said there was nothing he could do.
“As you can see my people are still here demanding for justice and fairness. They are saying that they cannot allow their mandate to be stolen by anybody.
“We therefore appeal to the APC National working committee and President Muhammadu Buhari to defend democracy by ensuring that every aspirant gets justice. The APC must not fold its arms and watch aspirants’ rights violated.
“As you can see, they already announced that I am winning, but they are planning to rig the election in favour of my opponents”.
Madu Bama, one of the delegates said that they were told to leave the venue that election would no longer hold.
“They beat anybody who made any noise or question what they came to do,” he said.
Babagana Goni, another delegate said that the police were chasing people with their trucks.
“Many of our fellow delegates were injured and maltreated,” he said.
Modu Mala, another delegate accused the APC, the Borno state government and the electoral committee of trying to write the result to declare Nur Sharif as the winner.
Mala said “Governor Shettima wants Nur Sharif to win by all means because he doesn’t want Ali Modu Sherrif’s family to lose everything.
“The governor has asked Gimbe to step down for Nur but she declined to do so, so he was doing everything to frustrate the process of the election.”
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