By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
Protests rocked the National Secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of Friday’s deadline for submission of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Some aggrieved youths from Kogi State stormed the party headquarters in Abuja chanting slogans against the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Around 5:30 pm the youths almost overpowered security men at the gate before the intervention of officials of the Department of State Security Services and armed policemen.
The youths vowed to prevent the national chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu from leaving the party national secretariat unless he addressed them.
It took the detailed officers attached to the chairman’s office time to pave way for him to leave at the close of work.
It was gathered that Hon. David Idris Zacharias, who is the APC House of Representatives candidate for Idah/Ofu/Igala-Mela/Ibaji Federal Constituecy and his supporters were protesting alleged sharp practice by some party leaders in the State and a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) to deny him of his hard-earned ticket.
Zacharias, who won the party primary in Idah, alleged that leaders in the State and a National officer from Kogi East denied him necessary forms to fill ahead of the deadline for submission of candidates.
Speaking on behalf Zacharias, one of his aides, Alhaji Muhammed Salami, told journalists that his principal was denied access to the INEC form mandatory for candidates to fill, instead, he was asked to fill Withdrawal Concession Form which they rejected.
Salami said: ” Zacharias was invited through an SMS , to come to the APC national Secretariat to collect and fill INEC form, only to be given withdrawal form which he rejected. They have since refused to give him the INEC Form.”
Salami further alleged the party leaders were planning to give the ticket to favoured candidate whom Zacharia defeated at the primary.
David Idris Zacharias is the current member representing Idah/Ofu/Igala-Mela/Ibaji Federal Constituecy.
It was reliably gathered that similar protests were staged by party faithful in Idah, Ofu, Igala-Mela and Ibaji local government areas of Kogi State simoutanously same day.
