By Najeeb Sani
One of the governorship aspirants of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, has clarified that he did not declare himself winner of the party’s fresh primary as reported in the media, saying he has no such powers to do so.
Speaking with journalists, Mailantarki said he was quoted out of context in the recent interview.
He, however, maintained that in the present circumstances and considering the recent judgment of the Supreme Court on party membership, he ought to have been declared winner by the Electoral Committee, having come second in the fresh primaries held on Tuesday.
“I have read many headlines that I declared myself the winner of Tuesday’s fresh governorship primary. I cannot do that because I am not the authority to do that. I was quoted out of context in my press conference after the exercise,” he said.
Mailantarki, who came second with a total of 389 votes, claimed that those are the lawful votes cast for him as a registered member of the PDP, which are enough to make him winner because the next aspirant polled fewer votes.
He frowned at Pantami’s eligibility, insisting that he should not have been allowed to participate in the fresh primary “because he did not meet the party guidelines on membership before the initial primary elections”, while citing the apex court’s recent judgment on a similar matter.
He also said he would challenge Pantami’s participation in court because he has the constitutional right to do so under the relevant laws of the country, maintaining that the process should have him.
Mailantarki further argued that issues surrounding Pantami’s eligibility remained unresolved and formed part of the basis for his decision to challenge it.
He said while the fresh primary was conducted according to laid-down procedure, the inclusion of Pantami in the contest rendered the whole process contestable.
Mailantarki also commended the PDP leadership in Gombe State, particularly former governor and senator, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, for what he described as efforts to ensure fairness and adherence to due process within the party.
