‎Adamawa APC Ticket Not For Sale: Party Men Decry Cash Inducement, Call For EFCC Probe


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‎Some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State have raised serious concerns over what they described as the excessive and indiscriminate use of money by the party’s North East National Vice Chairman, Comrade Mustapha Salihu, who is reportedly nursing governorship ambitions.
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‎The aggrieved stakeholders, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, warned that the APC governorship ticket in Adamawa State is not for sale and cautioned against actions they said could undermine internal democracy and erode public confidence in the party’s leadership selection process.
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‎According to the sources, the alleged large-scale deployment of cash by a senior party official poses grave danger to democratic principles, especially at a time when political parties are expected to deepen internal democracy and ensure credibility in candidate emergence.
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‎They alleged that within the last five months, Comrade Salihu has been touring different parts of the state, allegedly distributing large sums of money to party members and officials in what they described as a calculated attempt to buy loyalty, influence opinions, and secure votes ahead of the party’s governorship primaries.
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‎One of the stakeholders warned that allowing money politics to dominate the process could result in the hijack of the party by wealthy individuals at the expense of ideology, competence, and popular will.
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‎“If this pattern is allowed to continue, then democracy itself is at serious risk. It opens the door for unconscionable moneybags to seize control of the political space, ride roughshod over party structures, and impose candidates who may have no commitment to the aspirations of the people or respect for the rule of law,” the source said.
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‎The stakeholders further expressed concern that such practices could give rise to authoritarian leadership tendencies, stressing that leaders who emerge through financial inducement rarely feel accountable to the electorate.
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‎In view of the allegations, the stakeholders called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to urgently intervene by investigating the source of the alleged massive funds being deployed. They argued that a transparent probe would help safeguard democracy and protect the APC from being overtaken by what they termed “unwholesome and undemocratic forces.”
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‎One of the aggrieved party members explained that his concern was heightened by what he described as the growing psychological impact of the alleged cash inducement on party executives and grassroots members.
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‎He claimed that some party officials had begun to misinterpret the alleged cash distribution as acts of generosity and philanthropy, rather than as politically motivated inducements.
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‎“Such massive and unrestrained distribution of cash is beginning to influence even some of the most sober-minded members of the party. Many now see it as kindness, when in reality it is a subtle means of buying their allegiance,” the source stated.
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‎Another stakeholder, who is also a member of the party’s State Executive Council (SEC), said he was deeply disturbed by what transpired at a recent gathering of party officials.
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‎He alleged that Comrade Salihu reportedly donated one million naira each to over 50 members of the SEC, a development he said led to uncharacteristic behavior among some officials.
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‎“I was shocked when, after collecting huge sums of money, some members began to act irrationally and even proposed the adoption of Mustapha Salihu as the sole governorship candidate of the party,” he said.
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‎The stakeholder further claimed that prominent party officials openly canvassed for the adoption of Salihu, allegedly disregarding party rules and democratic norms.
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‎“It was disheartening to hear senior party figures such as the state acting women leader, Gloria Istifanus; the state auditor, Obel Shedrach; the central zonal vice chairman, Isa Bagalchi; and the northern zonal chairman, Wilfred Polycarp, allegedly urging the party to make Mustapha Salihu the sole governorship candidate,” another source added.
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‎The stakeholders insisted that the APC must resist any attempt to subvert internal democracy, stressing that credibility, transparency, and fairness must guide the selection of its governorship candidate in Adamawa State.
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