Some All Progressives Congress (APC) aggrieved aspirants in Adamawa and Taraba States respectively have demanded refund of the expenses they incurred in the processes leading to the party primaries.
They made the request when the North East Peace and Reconciliation Committee led by Nasarawa State Govovernor, Tanko Almakura, saying that without the refund it would be impossible for them to talk of reconciliation with those that manipulated the electoral processes in favour of their preferred candidates.
They aggrieved, who had aspired for Senate, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly seats, said the expenses were incurred mostly in the purchase of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms, campaigns and other logistics deployed in the prosecution of the primaries.
They claimed that most of them had sold their houses and other assets, spent their live savings in the process only to be denied the opportunity to participate in the primaries.
Addressing officials of the party in Yola, Governor Almakura accompanied by his Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar and other members of the committee explained that the committee is not an adjudication panel that does have no power to change the outcome of the primaries but is a peace and reconciliation committed mandated to reconcile aggrieved members with the party.
Further, he explained that the committee would do everything within its power to ensure that the party reconcile with its members who are aggrieved with the outcome of the primaries at all levels.
He said the intention would be to ensure that all members and supporters especially those who had genuine complaints are reconciled so that the party would go into the 2019 election as a united front.
Almakura noted that the APC is a party built on fairness, equity and justice, assuring that members of the panel would address the genuine grievances with a view to strengthening the bonds within the party.
He thanked some of the aggrieved aspirants for keeping faith with the party by not defecting to other parties and taking the party to court despite the perceived injustice meted out to them.
It was observed that some of the aggrieved aspirants from both states registered their grievances before the panel individually and collectively.
They accused the party of not conducting primaries at all in their constituencies or senatorial districts, and alleged that the leadership of the party gave automatic tickets to incumbents and their anointed candidates.
