Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has said that he would not tolerate any act that could threaten peace in the state ahead of the forthcoming primary elections.
Speaking on a statewide broadcast on Wednesday, the governor stated the decision was reached after disagreements among some aspirants despite efforts by the APC Elders’ Committee and the party’s State Executive Committee to build consensus around endorsed candidates.
The governor said that members of the APC with the backing of the APC Elders’ Committee and the State Executive Committee made spirited attempts to explore the consensus option some weeks ago.
The former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, has opposed the consensus arrangement that favoured Dr Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna and the Senator representing Gombe Central District, Muhammadu Danjuma Goje and protested the arrangement that removed him after 16 years in service.
“The party will now proceed to direct primaries in accordance with Section 87(2) of the Electoral Act,” Governor Yahaya said.
“As political activities pick up, my priority is to protect peace and stability in the State,” said the governor who will enter the last year of his administration on May 29.
Yahaya said that the conduct of the party primaries was critical because of its implication for democracy, social cohesion and internal stability in the state. He warned that security agencies will not tolerate attempts by politicians or their supporters to use the primaries to cause trouble.
“There are some unpatriotic politicians and conflict entrepreneurs who want to hide behind the forthcoming primary elections to cause chaos and conflict,” he said.
The governor added that anybody found culpable in disrupting public peace before, during or after the primaries will face the full weight of the law assuring that anybody found wanting will not go unpunished.
The Governor pleaded with political stakeholders to place the interest of the State above personal ambitions, recalling that in spite of the security challenges confronting parts of the North-East, Gombe has remained relatively peaceful since its creation in 1996.
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