Tobi Adebayo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has affirmed Bashir Sheriff Machina as the winner of the Yobe North senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress.
This is according to a copy of INEC’s report from the May 28, 2022 primary election, which was certified by the electoral office on June 23, 2022.
In the report, Machina polled 289 votes out of 300 delegates, confirming his public claim that he won the primary and legally emerged candidate.
ICPC denies raid on Buratai’s property
Machina had come under intense pressure to relinquish the ticket to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who lost out in the APC presidential primary.
Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu had insisted that Machina must surrender the ticket to Lawan, who did not participate in the Senatorial Primary election, as shown in the INEC report.
Meanwhile, Machina’s campaign organisation, in a statement on Friday alleged that there have been threats to his life over his refusal to handover the ticket to Lawan.
“Information at the disposal of Bashir Machina Campaign Organisation is that there is a security threat to the senatorial candidate of APC for Yobe North, Hon. Bashir Sheriff Machina, especially in relation to his refusal to relinquish his legally acquired ticket.
“Credible sources confirmed that some people want him arrested or at worst eliminated. They have resorted to employing diabolical means over unlawful means, in pressurising him to step down.
“We use this opportunity to notify the security agencies of this threat or likely breach of security around our senatorial candidate, we believe the security agencies will rise up to the occasion and take the threat seriously.
“As Campaign Organisation, we warned that the people behind his ordeal in the last four days should be held responsible if any mishap happens to him. By this notice, we are putting everybody on red alert,” the statement read in part.
