Despite the All Progressives Congress National Working Committee according to recognition of Dr Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwea as its governorship candidate in Plateau State and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s publication of his name as eligible for the next general elections, certain chieftains of the party in the North Central state have continued to reject Goshwea nomination.
The Progressives Foundation Movement (PFM) led by Jacob Gyang, Elder Victor Useni and Musa Ardo, in a statement on Tuesday, asked Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC to substitute Goshwe as its candidate ahead next general elections.
The group recalled its petition to the party national secretariat where other aspirants who contested the primary maintained that Dr Goshwe failed to meet up with the guidelines for the exercise and was not duly elected.
The group claimed that “an unknown list of delegates was concocted in Jos, kept in Jos and was used, whereas the State Party Chairman had assured us of full compliance to the party guideline where from the election of delegates was to be conducted in all the 207 Wards of the state on the scheduled date as indicated in the party guidelines. This can be verified by the INEC report on the Party Primaries in Plateau state.”
The group further alleged that the APC candidate was not eligible for the race as they claimed that they were not aware that he was granted a waiver by the party national secretariat having joined the ruling party in January 2022.
“Given the last window of opportunity as prescribed by the Electoral Act (2022) as Amended. We once again reiterate and rest upon our earlier petitions on the invalidity of the candidacy of Dr Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe and state unequivocally that unless the party takes urgent and acceptable decisive steps to address these issues, and amicably resolved same, we cannot guarantee to support the party to victory in the forthcoming elections for the following reasons:
“That Dr Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe was a staff of INEC until 23rd December 2021 when he purportedly resigned his appointment but he had not resigned his appointment from the University of Agriculture, Makudi, from where he had gone to on secondment.
“He joined the APC on the 6th of January, 2022 when party membership had been closed. All registers had been transmitted to INEC via State Party Offices. Not qualified to contest under APC platforms unless the waiver is sought and granted and available evidence does not support the facts that this has been complied with. NEC of APC ceded powers of Granting Waiver and other statutory functions to NWC and it is not on record that either NEC or NWC has granted the said waiver to him or any aspirant. That’s a moral burden to the APC and an embarrassment to INEC and all these facts are in the public domain.
“As a leader of the party in the state, despite knowing and having these facts at his fingertips, the governor chose to ignore, turn the black eye because of his self-serving interest to appease his In-laws and members of his immediate family.
“Finally, we expect our great party to respectfully stitch the time and act responsibly with the sole objective of party unity, cohesion and victory in the forthcoming elections if and only if we must get involved.”
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