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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Yobe North senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Bashir Machina, has raised an alarm over an alleged plan to forge his signature on a letter, stating that he has voluntarily withdrawn from the race to pave the way for Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Bashir Machina campaign organisation, on Tuesday.
The statement signed by the campaign organisation’s spokesperson, Husaini Isah, said such an act was unfortunate.
According to the campaign organisation, some elements within the party who are “slaves to corruption and criminality” are hell-bent on manipulating the candidacy of the senatorial district.
“Information available to the Bashir Machina Campaign Organisation has it that some individuals have entered an unholy alliance with some compromised leaders to forge the withdrawal letter of Yobe North APC senatorial candidate, Hon Bashir Machina, even after communicating formally to the party leadership affirming his stand not to step-down for anybody.
“It is sad and indeed unfortunate that after all the cries and alarm raised by the campaign organisation exposing a sinister plot to subvert the will of people of Yobe North, some mischievous elements are hell-bent and determined to carry out their criminal offence.
“It has eventually come to light in this untidy business of a forged withdrawal letter, that some compromised leaders have become slaves to corruption and criminality in Nigeria,” the statement read.
Machina further reiterated his position that he will not step down for Lawan, adding that any letter of withdrawal was not from him.
“Facts affirming our earlier accusation that some individuals were trying to forge the withdrawal letter of Bashir Machina have emerged, and as a campaign organisation, we want to make it abundantly clear that any withdrawal letter carrying the signature of our candidate is a forged document and does not emanate from him.
“We wonder how a sane person could delve into this embarrassing action which is criminal in nature and has the potential of soiling the reputation of the APC as a party that stands for justice.
“We want to reiterate that Bashir Machina’s letter dated 13th June, which was sent to the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, still stands and any attempt to forge his withdrawal letter would be treated as a pure criminal offence irrespective of the calibre of person(s) involved,” the statement added.
Machina had been at loggerheads with APC leadership over the party’s senatorial ticket for Yobe North.
The APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, had earlier said that Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who contested the presidential primary, participated in the Yobe North senatorial primary election and emerged the winner.
Adamu subsequently submitted Lawan’s name as the candidate of the APC for the Yobe North Senatorial District slated to INEC.
However, a document that purportedly emanated from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which surfaced online recently, showed that Machina was the winner of the senatorial primary.