Ahead of the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress, a leading governorship aspirant in Nasarawa State and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Hassan Liman, has said he will not step down for any other aspirant, even if approached by Governor Abdullahi Sule or other stakeholders in the state.
Liman stated this on Sunday in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, while responding to questions from journalists on his possible withdrawal from the race, following moves by some aspirants who have stepped down to support Governor Sule’s preferred aspirant, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria was at the APC state secretariat to meet with party executives on the need to ensure a free, fair and credible primary election scheduled for Thursday.
Liman noted that he would ensure that he and his team follow the party’s laid-down procedures during the governorship primary to guarantee a peaceful and seamless process.
According to the legal luminary, Governor Sule, being a democrat, would not prevail on him to step down from the governorship contest, adding that even if such a move was made, he would decline.
He said: “Governor Sule is a democrat. I believe that he will not ask anyone to step down. As far as I am concerned, he has said times without number that everyone who has purchased a form has the right to contest, and we are going to contest.
“So, the question of stepping down does not arise. I am not stepping down for anyone. No one has approached me to step down, and I am not going to step down because that issue is not even on the table.”
Speaking on the APC ahead of the primaries and general elections, Liman said there is no division in the party.
According to him, the governor has a constitutional right to express preference for a successor, but that does not negate the conduct of a primary election, hence his decision to remain in the race.
“I was one of the contestants at that time, and Governor Abdullahi Sule won the election. But what I am saying is that every person has a fundamental right, and our Electoral Act and party constitution do not say that a candidate must come from a particular part of the state.
“So as a party, each and every one of us has the right to contest the election, and that is exactly what we are doing. There is no division in our party,” Liman said.
