TheCable

Idris Mamman-Durkwa, a Borno All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, says reports of his defection is a ploy to deny him the party’s ticket.

Mamman-Durkwa had accused the APC-led Borno government of denying him access to the party’s delegates expected to participate in the primary election.

“I have earlier drawn the attention of the general public to the underhand tactics deploy to ensure that I do not win the ticket of the party,” he said in a statement signed by Mala Othman, chairman of his campaign organisation.

Denying reports that he was defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mamman-Durkwa said he remains in the party and still very much in the race.

“I am in this race to the very end and at no time contemplated defecting, even with the unfair challenges thrown at us,” he said.

In an earlier statement, he had alleged that “delegates’ fundamental rights of choice are being denied. They have been warehoused and restricted from meeting with aspirants so as to enable a level playing ground”.

He added that there is a deliberate misinformation about his candidacy.

“Complaints of threats, intimidations and harassments from delegates who are supporters of our campaign group especially from Local Government Areas of Abadam, Ngala, Biu, Askira/Uba, Magumeri, Kukawa, Nganzai, Shani, Mobbar, Gwoza, Bama and Mafa have also been received and fully documented,” he said.

“It is also on record that State Chapter of our great Party have been unduly emasculated by the Borno State Government, where decisions of the Party is hijacked by the Government House instead of the Party secretariat. For instance, where some selected aspirants supported by the State Government were invited to Government House and party decisions made to the exclusion of some other aspirants.”