From Asile Abel, Jos
One of the leading Governorship Aspirants of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded primary elections which held on Thursday 26th May, 2022 in Plateau State, Dr. Patrick Sunday Dakum, has said the election was highly compromised, marred by intimidation of delegates by top government officials in the state and other avoidable irregularities that tampered with its integrity.
Dakum made the allegations at a media briefing in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
According to the Public Health Expert, the election was not a true reflection of the minds of the delegates and party faithful, as it allegedly fell short of what is expected of an election that should be transparent, free, fair and credible.
Dakum appreciated all those involved in the “Consolidation Movement”, saying the goal of going into the contest for governorship was borne out of deep passion for Plateau State, inclusivity in the governance of the state and a deep passion not to “throw the baby with the bath water”.
According to Dakum, every government that has come on the Plateau has excellent points and things they have done and that he was ready to take the best practices from past governments and consolidate them into a programme that will use outcome-driven implementation process in order to move development faster.
His words, “For me as a Child of God, I have always known that the destiny of Plateau State and ours as individuals is in the hands of God, so for me circumstances does not change what comes out from the inside” he said.
The most popular APC aspirant said if he was to be unhappy that would be for the fact that development may be taken ten years backward and the people would be responsible for truncating development for not doing the right things.
Dr. Dakum recounted his experiences throughout the campaign period and the primaries, how the list of delegates were not disclosed to the aspirants and who were later told few days prior to the primaries that the delegates were to be accommodated by the government.
He hinted that he toured all the 17 local government areas in the state twice, met with party officials, discussed his plans for the state and sought for their support, a feat no other aspirant could achieve.
Dr Dakum said the APC had the opportunity to field the candidate that would not be difficult to sell but declined to do so.
Dakum said during the primaries, he was shocked that in the Local Government Area that started the election – Qua’an-Pan – only two delegates could write. He disclosed that the same thing played out in other Local Government Areas.
Dakum pointed out that local government chairmen and officials were around to influence who delegates would vote for, alleging that the delegates were not given the opportunity to freely cast their votes for the aspirant of their choice.
“There was a lot of intimidation on the delegates, you could see them being very terrified as you could see government officials hovering all over the place to ensure the delegates go a particular direction” he said.
According to Dakum, they walked out because the result of the primaries would not reflect the true mind of the APC members in Plateau State.
He reiterated that the primaries were compromised were not done in a way that would bring up the best candidate.
Dakum said they have channeled their complaints to the Appeals Committee and were awaiting the verdict to know the next line of action to take.
He pointed out that if nothing was done about their petition, he wouldconsult with the stakeholders and people who believe in the consolidation vision to take the appropriate decision.
“I will also put my ears to the spiritual ground to know the conviction God is giving me in my heart, if I am to stay in the party and work for it and the candidate or otherwise. These are possibilities” he said.
Dakum urged his supporters to stay calm and peaceful as they engage the leadership of the party to look into the issues presented.
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