The Bashir Machina campaign organisation has denied reports suggesting that Yobe North Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress has stepped down for the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.
In a statement released by the organisation’s spokesperson, Husaini Isah, on Tuesday, the group raised the alarm over an alleged plan to forge his signature on a letter stating that Machina has voluntarily withdrawn from the race to pave way for Lawan.
Describing the act as unfortunate, Isah alleged that some persons within the party are bent on manipulating the candidacy of the senatorial district.
The statement read in part, “Information available to Bashir Machina Campaign Organisation has it that some individuals have entered an unholy alliance with some compromised leaders to forge the withdrawal letter of Yobe North APC senatorial candidate, Bashir Machina, even after communicating formally to the party leadership, affirming his stand not to step-down for anybody.
“It is sad and indeed unfortunate that after all the cries and alarm raised by the campaign organisation exposing a sinister plot to subvert the will of people of Yobe North, some mischievous elements are hell-bent and determined to carry out their criminal offence.
“It has eventually come to light in this untidy business of forged withdrawal letter that some compromised leaders have become slave to corruption and criminality in Nigeria.”
The group further reiterated Machina’s position that he is not stepping down and any letter of withdrawal received is not from him.
The statement added, “Facts affirming our earlier accusation that some individuals were trying to forge the withdrawal letter of Bashir Machina have emerged and as a campaign organisation we want to make it abundantly clear that any withdrawal letter carrying the signature of our candidate is a forged document and does not emanate from him.
“We wonder how a sane person could delve into this embarrassing action which is criminal in nature and has the potential of soiling the reputation of the APC as a party that stands for justice.
“We want to reiterate that Bashir Machina’s letter dated June 13, which was sent to the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, still stands and any attempt to forge his withdrawal letter would be treated as a pure criminal offence irrespective of the calibre of person(s) involved.”