Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said the party did not break any law by submitting senate president, Ahmad Lawan, name to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as Yobe north senatorial candidate.
The APC Yobe north senatorial ticket sparked controversy after Bashir Machina, who won the primary, insisted that he would not step down for Lawan.
Lawan had, in May, contested for the APC presidential ticket, but lost.
Amid the controversy over the ticket, the senate president, who currently represents Yobe north district, was eventually listed as the APC senatorial candidate for the 2023 general election.
In his comment on how Lawan became listed as the party’s candidate, Adamu had said the senate president participated in a primary for the district.
Speaking further on the development in an interview published by BBC Hausa on Thursday, the APC chairman told Machina to be careful over comments he’s making regarding the issue.
He added that the issues affecting the party on primaries are not unusual, adding that they will be resolved.
“There is no leader who doesn’t receive complaints from the people he is leading and no leader would leave his position because of what the people say,” Adamu said.
“In my position as the leader, whatever has happened in the APC since the day I became chairman of the party, I, Abdullahi Adamu, should be blamed.
“If you don’t take the blame as a leader, then who should be blamed? As a leader, you are trying to resolve problems, not increase them.
“If you don’t know how to set a trap for a thief, the thief will set the trap for you. Machina should be careful; his issue is getting out of hand. As far I am concerned as chairman, my party did not violate any law.
“Is there any law that says you cannot contest for a position after contesting for another one. No law prohibits anyone from doing so.”
Speaking on the recent defection of members, Adamu said people can’t be forced to stay in the APC.
“If I say there haven’t been people who have left our party, then I have lied,” he said.
“No doubt, there are some who after they lost the primaries decided to leave the party and join another one.
“Politics is not by force. This is not how we wanted it to be and it is not only our party that its members are leaving.”