A chairmanship aspirant for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State, Danjuma Sarki, has voiced strong criticism regarding the recent state congress election, alleging extensive manipulation and rigging.
During the congress held at the Kaduna Trade and Investment Centre, Edward Masha was declared the new chairman after receiving 2,123 votes, defeating Sarki, who garnered only 250 votes.
In a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat, Sarki accused party officials of coercing delegates to vote for specific candidates, violating party regulations. He described the election process as a “sham” and a “rape of democracy,” claiming that delegates were pressured into swearing allegiance to preferred candidates and that their identification tags were pre-marked with names.
Sarki criticized the chaotic environment at the venue, which he asserted allowed unauthorized individuals to disrupt and manipulate the electoral proceedings. He insisted that he was not legitimately defeated, stating, “I didn’t lose; I was cheated. The PDP in Kaduna requires a credible leader to confront the APC, but yesterday’s election did not provide that.”
Expressing his frustration, Sarki noted that the party had failed to organize a transparent election, particularly given its decade-long opposition status. He called for intervention from the national leadership of the PDP to restore fairness within the party, which has been plagued by internal conflicts and controversy surrounding its congresses.
Sarki also extended his gratitude to his supporters, campaign team, and party members who remained loyal amid the ongoing intimidation. He highlighted the significant challenges the Kaduna chapter has faced, including losses in the last gubernatorial election, asserting, “We all witnessed how the PDP was rigged out during the previous gubernatorial election in Kaduna State.”
