The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State, Barrister Ibrahim Kashim has reportedly relinquished the ticket to the incumbent governor, Senator Bala Muhammed.
Muhammed last weekend failed to clinch his party, PDP presidential ticket. In the intra-party poll, he pulled 20 votes coming a distant fifth behind the eventual winner, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who scored 371 votes; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike who scored 237; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki who scored 70 votes; and Akwa-Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel who scored 38 votes.
Mr Kashim, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government, was the only governorship aspirant in the party’s primary election.
Hassan Grema, Chairman, PDP Governorship Primary Election Committee, had announced this at the end of the intra-party election.
He said that 656 delegates participated in the exercise, adding that only one vote was declared invalid.
“Ibrahim Kashim was the only aspirant of the party in the state and the delegates had to vote to complete the due process in line with the electoral law,” he stated.
Muhammed is entitled to another term having only served one term which will terminate in May next year.
Section 33 of the Electoral Act (as amended) provided that ‘A political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted under Section 29 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate: Provided that in the case of such withdrawal or death of a candidate, the political party affected shall, within 14 days of the occurrence of the event, hold a fresh primary election to produce and submit a fresh candidate to the Commission for the election concerned.’