Stop name-dropping President Tinubu, intimidating opponents, APC group warns Wadada

A pressure group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State has criticised the use of the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by one of the governorship aspirants in the State, Senator Ahmed Wadada, to allegedly get undue advantage in the electoral contest.

The Nasarawa APC Integrity Forum said Wadada, Senator representing Nasarawa West, is dropping the name of President Tinubu and a close associate of the President, Mr Gilbert Chagoury, instead of seeking the mandate from the people like everyone else.

In a statement issued Wednesday by Zamani Daniel and Ibrahim Tukur in Lafia, the organisation said Senator Wadada brags about purported closeness with President Tinubu and Chagoury while intimidating his opponents and their supporters.

“We know Mr President to be a true democrat and a believer in upholding wishes of the majority. This is why we are bothered and surprised that Wadada is boasting that Mr President will hand-pick him ahead of more entrenched and popular aspirants.

“As the saying goes, democracy is a game of numbers. Anyone who thinks is popular enough should market himself to the people. Let Nasarawa citizens and party members choose who is best for them. With direct primaries now adopted by stakeholders aspirants should market themselves to the people rather than use crooked means to get endorsement,” the group stated.

The APC support group alleged that Senator Wadada was also peddling influence to get security and anticorruption agencies to arm-twist some of the formidable aspirants in the race for the party’s ticket.

“Political aspiration is within the constitutionally guaranteed rights of every citizen. Everyone should be free to pursue their political aspirations without fear or hinderance. A situation where a contestant resort to undemocratic tactics to scare away fellow aspirants is not only undesirable but dangerous to our democracy,” the forum added.