The All Progressives Congress senatorial candidate for Taraba North, Kabiru Bello Bandawaire, has rejected reports suggesting that he has been replaced as the party’s flagbearer, insisting that he remains the duly nominated candidate for the district ahead of the election.
Bandawaire said he has no intention of stepping down from the race, maintaining that the mandate given to him remains valid and cannot be surrendered under any arrangement that fails to follow due process.
Speaking on Saturday in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, he described claims that the APC had substituted his name with that of the incumbent senator, Shuibu Isa Lau, as false and misleading. He said no such decision had been formally communicated to him by the party and insisted that he remains the recognised candidate.
According to him, he was validly elected and duly acknowledged by the Independent National Electoral Commission, making any attempt to present another name outside the laid down legal process unacceptable.
Bandawaire declared that he would not withdraw from the senatorial contest for Taraba North or step aside for anyone, stressing that the mandate entrusted to him by the people was not something he could trade away.
He said the Electoral Act is clear on how a candidate can be substituted, noting that such a process can only happen when the candidate voluntarily withdraws from the race.
The APC candidate said he has neither shown any intention to withdraw nor submitted a letter to the party indicating that he was stepping down, adding that there was therefore no basis for any replacement.
He maintained that the party must respect due process and act within the law, warning that any attempt to impose a substitution outside the provisions of the Electoral Act would amount to an undemocratic move.
Bandawaire also called on APC members and his supporters across Taraba North to ignore the reports making the rounds, saying there has been no valid change to his candidacy.
He reiterated that his name had not been replaced by anyone and affirmed that he remains the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Taraba North.
