Early exit polls in Brazil this evening boosted hopes among supporters of right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro that he could outperform recent opinion surveys enough to win a first-round victory.

The fiery lawmaker has surged in opinion polls in the past week, with all major surveys suggesting the race would go to a second-round runoff in what has become a referendum on Mr Bolsonaro, a former army captain who praises dictatorships and vows a brutal crackdown on crime.

However, exit polls today suggested an even more dramatic swing. An Ibope exit poll for the Rio de Janeiro governor race showed former judge Wilson Witzel, a Bolsonaro ally, scoring a shock victory over former Rio mayor Eduardo Paes by 39% to 21%, suggesting earlier opinion surveys underestimated a deep-seated desire for change in the electorate.

Mr Bolsonaro, 63, was accompanied by a nurse as he cast his vote today, a month after a near-fatal stabbing at a campaign rally that required two emergency surgeries.

He said he was confident he had the majority of valid votes necessary to clinch the race without a runoff vote on 28 October, avoiding a showdown with the leftist Workers Party (PT).

"If God is willing, we'll settle this today," he told reporters. "We are on an upward trajectory and are confident that the Brazilian people want to distance themselves from socialism."

Read more: All you need to know about Brazil's divisive election

An exit poll also showed one of Mr Bolsonaro's closest aides, former police major Olimpio Gomes, scoring a surprise win in the Senate race in Sao Paulo state, surging past his recent polling.

In Minas Gerais state, exit polls showed another Bolsonaro ally scoring an upset victory in the governor's race.

Mr Bolsonaro is riding a wave of anger at the establishment over one of the world's largest political graft schemes and rising crime in the country with most murders in the world.

His supporters blame all that on the PT, which ruled Brazil for 13 of the past 15 years, along with reckless economic policies that contributed to Brazil's worst recession in a generation.

Still, Brazil is split over the danger to democracy posed by Mr Bolsonaro, a long-time congressman who advocates for torture and police violence, praises the country's 1964-85 military regime and suggested that opponents could only win the race through fraud, although he now vows to respect the electoral process.

Mr Bolsonaro's closest rival, PT candidate Fernando Haddad, a former education minister and one-term mayor of Sao Paulo, is standing in for the party's jailed founder, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is serving time for bribery and money laundering.

Brazil's 147 million voters will choose the president, all 513 members of the lower house of Congress, two-thirds of the 81-member Senate, plus governors and lawmakers in all 27 states.</s>Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro widened his lead over fellow election hopefuls a day before Brazilians go to the polls to choose the country's next president.

In DataFolha polling institute's latest poll, published on Saturday, Bolsonaro was projected to win 40 percent of the vote on Sunday.

Fernando Haddad, the leftist Workers' Party (PT) replacement candidate for jailed former president Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, was projected to win 25 percent of support.

Lula topped opinion surveys gauging presidential candidates' popularity levels prior to renouncing his candidacy last month after being barred from running by Brazil's country's top electoral court.

Opinion polls published hours earlier by private-polling firm CNT/MDA suggested Bolsonaro will win 36.7 percent of the vote in the October 7 election. Haddad trailed in second place with 24 percent of voter support.

If none of the 13 candidates competing for the presidency wins more than 50 percent support, a runoff poll between the top two performers will take place on October 28.

A head-to-head vote involving Bolsonaro, a self-styled political outsider, and Haddad remains the most likely scenario, with CNT/MDA data projecting the far-right candidate would win such a poll.

On Saturday, Bolsonaro tweeted that Brazilians no longer "had to choose between options that didn't represent them".

"Now, it is different! We love Brazil, we defend family and the innocence of children, we treat criminals as such and do not involve ourselves in corruption schemes," he said.

Haddad, meanwhile, claimed he was sure he could count on the Brazilian people to win, "vote by vote, until the last minute".

"I don't believe in violence, in the dictatorship, in the lack of liberty. Let's create opportunities, that's how you do politics," he tweeted.

'Confrontation between opposites'

About 147 million people are expected to vote on Sunday, with participation compulsory for "literate" Brazilians aged 18 to 70.

More than 1,650 positions are up for grabs, including most of the seats in Brazil's congress and all 27 state governorships.

Polling stations will be open from 8am local time (11:00 GMT) until 5pm local time (20:00 GMT) and results are expected to be announced close to midnight GMT.

The election takes place amid a period of deep polarisation in Brazilian society, with the two frontrunner candidates also widely despised by many voters.

Ricardo Ribeiro, a political analyst at MCM Consultores, said there was a "lot of fear" among the electorate about a possible second-round showdown between Haddad and Bolsonaro.

"Everyone can see the polarisation at large, which is heightened because on one side you have an extreme right-wing option. I don't think the PT is an extremist party but it is a left-wing party. So, you have this confrontation between two opposites," Ribeiro said.

"The discussion of whether or not democracy can be sustained is now relevant again," he added.





Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has repeatedly spoken out in favour of Brazil's military government, which was in power from 1964-85.

He has promised to fill his cabinet with military generals and his running mate, retired army general Hamilton Mourao, hinted last year that he would be in favour of a military takeover of government if corrupt officials were not dealt with by Brazil's courts.

Bolsonaro has also made numerous overtly discriminatory comments about women, black and homosexual people.

Last weekend, hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets to march against his candidacy as part of the social media-driven and women-led #EleNao (#NotHim) movement. Thousands of Bolsonaro's supporters also rallied throughout Brazil in response.

Bolsonaro's combative rhetoric and pledges to crack down on Brazil's spiralling violent crime rates have found favour amid a backdrop of converging domestic crises.

Many Brazilians are deeply frustrated with the country's stuttering economy, public security crisis and a political class tarnished by several high-profile corruption scandals in recent years.

'Clean slate'

Ricardo Luis Couto, a taxi driver in Rio de Janeiro, said Bolsonaro would help "change the country".

"The PT are a bunch of robbers, they stole a lot from Brazil, the crisis in Brazil only began after the PT got into office," 46-year-old Couto told Al Jazeera, referencing the corruption scandals which have rocked the party in recent years.

Malena Alberti, a former PT supporter, said she would also turn out for Bolsonaro, who has represented Rio de Janeiro in Brazil's congress since 1991.

"Not only is he a military man, his goal is to preserve family values and to go against spreading communism in schools," 30-year-old Alberti said.

"Bolsonaro is the only one who has a clean slate … he's going after the criminals, he doesn't believe in human rights for them, only for good people … he's in favour of progress and order for the country," she added.

Despite Bolsonaro's rise in popularity in advance of Sunday's vote, he also remains the candidate with the highest rate of rejection among the electorate.

About 44 percent of voters say they would not support him under any circumstances, according to Datafolha.

Haddad's rejection rate stands at about 41 percent, by comparison, a reflection of many voters' distrust of the PT.

Contrasting views

A former mayor of Sao Paulo, Haddad has pledged to "make Brazil happy again" and revive the country's ailing economy by cutting taxes on the poor and creating more employment in a bid to help the nearly 13 million Brazilians currently out of work into jobs.

Pedro Gomes, 63-year-old newspaper stand owner, said he would be voting for Haddad on Sunday as he was "more qualified" than Bolsonaro for the presidency having served as a minister of education under Lula for seven years.

"Haddad is [also] really focused on helping the poorer part of the population, the working class, and bettering education," Gomes said. "[And] I think Bolsonaro is a very conservative person … he's not very respectful."

But for Sheila Xavier, 35, neither of the two frontrunners or any other candidate offer a solution to Brazil's problems.

"I don't know who I'm going to vote for, but I know I'm not going to vote for the PT or Bolsonaro," Xavier, who is currently unemployed, said.

"All the options right now for president say they are going to help provide better education and end violence but nothing actually happens," she added.</s>Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to Muhammadu Buhari urging him to expeditiously prosecute grand corruption cases involving all indicted former state governors and to prosecute indicted serving governors at the expiration of their tenure as governors.

The organisation urged the president to use his “good offices and leadership position to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN, to without delay take over and expeditiously prosecute the cases involving indicted governors.

The organization said, “the trial of several former state governors accused of corruption and money laundering have continued to linger in different high courts in the country. Some of the grand corruption cases involving former governors started in 2007 are yet to properly commence.”

In the letter dated 5 October 2018 and signed by SERAP deputy director Timothy Adewale, the organization said, “We are concerned that the continuing delay in the prosecution of former governors suspected of committing acts of grand corruption to logical conclusion has sent a negative message that the governors are untouchable. The delay is also contributing to perception among Nigerians that many of these influential and powerful past governors are being protected by the power and political set up.”

According to the organization, “instructing the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN to take over and directly and expeditiously prosecute all cases of grand corruption involving former governors, would be entirely consistent with his duties under the Constitution, and contribute to upholding the majesty of law and vindicating the rule of law.”

The organization warned that, “should the Attorney General not take over the cases of corruption against all past corrupt governors as requested, SERAP would, on account of the public interest involved, and to ensure that no further time is lost in the completion of these cases, consider appropriate legal action to compel the authorities to discharge their constitutional duties, consistent with the basic tenet of the rule of law, the concept of equality and the cause of justice.”

The statement read in part: “the continuing delay in the prosecution of former governors alleged to have committed acts of corruption is a significant factor contributing to impunity of those engaging in grand corruption, thereby posing a serious threat to probity in public life, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The delay in the prosecution of former governors who no longer enjoy constitutional immunity also suggests that they are above the law.”

“Nigerians deserve to see the prosecution of all indicted former governors to logical conclusion if your government is to demonstrate the credibility of its commitment to combat grand corruption and eliminate any impression of bias or lack of fairness in the fight against corruption. Everyone accused of corruption should be brought to justice in accordance with the law and irrespective of the height at which those involved are placed in the power and political set up.”

“The delay also has serious implications for human rights because the lack of effective prosecution of grand corruption cases involving former governors has created the tendency among many serving governors to engage in corruption, which would ultimately have deleterious effects on the enjoyment of human rights including the rights to healthcare, water, quality education and regular electricity supply.”

“SERAP believes that everyone against whom there is reasonable suspicion of committing a crime of corruption has to be treated equally and similarly under the law situation with a view in ensure proper implementation of the rule of law. This is the need of equality guaranteed in the Nigerian Constitution.”

“The right to equality in a situation like the corruption cases involving former governors is that of the Nigerian polity and not merely of a few individuals. The Attorney General is constitutionally empowered to take over and expeditiously prosecuted the cases against former governors to ensure justice and enforce the concept of equality.”

“The continuing delay in the prosecution of former governors accused of corruption amounts to a fundamental breach of Nigeria’s Constitution of 1999 (as amended) and the UN Convention against to which Nigeria is a state party.”

“Many of the 31 past governors accused of corruption are escaping justice, some of the cases dating back to 2003. “The Attorney General is a defender of public interest and has the powers under Section 174(1) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), to institute and undertake criminal proceedings against anyone suspected to be responsible for acts of corruption.”

“The delay can no longer be justified. Unless there is proper prosecution of indicted former governors, the effort made to investigate their cases would not bear fruition. Cases of corruption against high-ranking public officials, particularly all indicted former governors must be conducted and completed expeditiously if the government is to retain public confidence in the impartiality of its fight against corruption.”

“Any taking over and prosecution of the grand corruption cases involving former governors should not dilute adherence to the essentials of a fair trial and the basic principles of our constitutional jurisprudence including the presumption of innocence of the accused unless found guilty at the end of the trial.”

“SERAP also notes that Governors control about 47 per cent of accruals to the Federation Account – both its own share and that of the local governments. Also, the Attorney General once started that “It is the position of the present administration that these suspected governors must be prosecuted in line with the anti-corruption agenda of the government.”

“Ending corruption by state governors would contribute to respect for human rights including ensuring adequate medical and health facilities for all persons in the country; which would help to protect the health of the people and ensure that they receive medical attention when they are sick.”</s>Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP) has sent an open letter to Muhammadu Buhari urging him to use his “good offices and leadership position to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN to without delay take over and expeditiously prosecute grand corruption cases involving all indicted former state governors and to prosecute indicted serving governors at the expiration of their tenure as governors.

The organization said, “the trial of several former state governors accused of corruption and money laundering have continued to linger in different high courts in the country. Some of the grand corruption cases involving former governors started in 2007 are yet to properly commence.”

In the letter dated 5 October 2018 and signed by SERAP deputy director Timothy Adewale, the organization said, “We are concerned that the continuing delay in the prosecution of former governors suspected of committing acts of grand corruption to logical conclusion has sent a negative message that the governors are untouchable.

The delay is also contributing to perception among Nigerians that many of these influential and powerful past governors are being protected by the power and political set up.”

According to the organization, “instructing the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN to take over and directly and expeditiously prosecute all cases of grand corruption involving former governors, would be entirely consistent with his duties under the Constitution, and contribute to upholding the majesty of law and vindicating the rule of law.”

The statement read in part: “the continuing delay in the prosecution of former governors alleged to have committed acts of corruption is a significant factor contributing to impunity of those engaging in grand corruption, thereby posing a serious threat to probity in public life, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The delay in the prosecution of former governors who no longer enjoy constitutional immunity also suggests that they are above the law.”

“The delay also has serious implications for human rights because the lack of effective prosecution of grand corruption cases involving former governors has created the tendency among many serving governors to engage in corruption, which would ultimately have deleterious effects on the enjoyment of human rights including the rights to healthcare, water, quality education and regular electricity supply.”

“SERAP believes that everyone against whom there is reasonable suspicion of committing a crime of corruption has to be treated equally and similarly under the law situation with a view in ensure proper implementation of the rule of law. This is the need of equality guaranteed in the Nigerian Constitution.”</s>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Governors from 17 states said Tuesday that they will work together to develop cleaner energy and transportation as they look to lead a national shift to renewable fuels.

The states vary widely in their approach and sources of fuel, but the bipartisan group said its goal is to cooperate on planning and policies.

The pact  known as the Governors” Accord for a New Energy Future  calls for embracing new energy solutions to expand the economy and protect the health of communities and natural resources.

“We believe that this is a robust driver of economic growth, not a brake on economic growth,” Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee said in a conference call with reporters.

The governors purposely avoided mentioning the divisive issue of climate change and instead concentrated on how states can cooperate, California Gov. Jerry Brown said.

He said that includes building more sophisticated, energy-efficient regional electrical grids; pooling buying power to get cheaper clean-energy vehicles for state fleets; and lobbying the federal government for more research and development on energy storage, clean fuels and the electric grid.

Other participating governors are from Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

Senior advisers of the governors expect to meet soon to discuss the initial steps to meet the goals.</s>LAS VEGAS (AP)  Governors in the West are calling for expansion of a program that screens travelers at airports abroad, in a bid to encourage tourism and stop terrorists before they arrive in the U.S.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced Friday in Las Vegas that Western Governors” Association members approved a resolution calling for expanding an existing program.

The document points to U.S. passenger screening currently conducted at 15 airports in Ireland, Canada, Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the United Arab Emirates.

The governors want to add airports in Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and England.

The governors also approved calls for federal funding for sustainable forest management in the West, implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill and safe transportation of defense-related radioactive waste.</s>Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have agreed not to back any particular candidate at the national convention of the party on holding in Port Harcourt, Saturday, feelers indicate.

Multiple sources privy to the outcome of a meeting held at Government House in Port Harcourt told PREMIUM TIMES the governors asked all delegates to go and vote for candidates of their choice.

“They have just met, and there was no consensus on any candidate” the source told PREMIUMS TIMES as he emerged from the meeting at 12:09 a.m. Saturday. “The delegates are now free to choose whoever they want.”

The decision could prove pivotal in a race largely considered too close to call even hours to its commencement.

There have been fears that all the twelve PDP governors may rally behind a candidate. Considering the formidable influence the governors wield over party affairs, political analysts expect whoever they endorse to easily coast to victory.

Two PDP governors are in the race, with sources telling PREMIUM TIMES the remaining 10 governors felt it would be inappropriate to be openly partisan towards one of them.

But with delegates now being asked to go and vote independently without being instructed by the governors, who often play the role of custodian of delegates, the fierce competition already witnessed in the weeks leading up to the primaries may get even more intense well into the last minute.

Even though governors have their individual preference among the aspirants, the decision to let delegates be free to make their choice could mean there would be more delegates to lobby for aspirants.

At least 4,000 delegates are expected to participate in the primaries, according to party officials. They have been arriving in town since Wednesday, and the last set would arrive by morning on Saturday.

Sources in at least five of the 12 campaigns told PREMIUM TIMES late Friday that their respective candidates would not step down for anyone else.

“No one is going to step down amongst the top contenders,” a source said. “You are more likely to see them win one vote and lose than to step down.”

© 2018, Hallmarknews. All rights reserved. Reference and link to this site is required if you wish to reuse any article.</s>Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have agreed not to back any particular candidate at the national convention of the party on Saturday, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

Multiple sources privy to the outcome of a meeting held at Government House in Port Harcourt told PREMIUM TIMES the governors asked all delegates to go and vote for candidates of their choice.

“They have just met, and there was no consensus on any candidate” the source told PREMIUMS TIMES as he emerged from the meeting at 12:09 a.m. Saturday. “The delegates are now free to choose whoever they want.”

The decision could prove pivotal in a race largely considered too close to call even hours to its commencement.

There have been fears that all the twelve PDP governors may rally behind a candidate. Considering the formidable influence the governors wield over party affairs, political analysts expect whoever they endorse to easily coast to victory.

Two PDP governors are in the race, with sources telling PREMIUM TIMES the remaining 10 governors felt it would be inappropriate to be openly partisan towards one of them.

But with delegates now being asked to go and vote independently without being instructed by the governors, who often play the role of custodian of delegates, the fierce competition already witnessed in the weeks leading up to the primaries may get even more intense well into the last minute.

Even though governors have their individual preference among the aspirants, the decision to let delegates be free to make their choice could mean there would be more delegates to lobby for aspirants.

At least 4,000 delegates are expected to participate in the primaries, according to party officials. They have been arriving in town since Wednesday, and the last set would arrive by morning on Saturday.

Sources in at least five of the 12 campaigns told PREMIUM TIMES late Friday that their respective candidates would not step down for anyone else.

“No one is going to step down amongst the top contenders,” a source said. “You are more likely to see them win one vote and lose than to step down.”

PREMIUM TIMES reported how two of the aspirants, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe, publicly denied planning to step down for any candidate.

The 12 candidates in the race are: Atiku Abubakar, Ahmed Makarfi, Aminu Tambuwal, Datti Baba-Ahmed, Attahiru Bafarawa, Sule Lamido, Bukola Saraki, David Mark, Jonah Jang, Kabiru Turaki and Rabiu Kwankwaso.

They have all expressed confidence in their individual abilities to clinch the ticket and face President Muhammadu Buhari as the main challenger in the general election next February.</s>Brazilians Go To The Polls As Far-Right Candidate Gains Ground

Brazilians go to the polls to pick their next president in, perhaps, the country's most divisive election ever. The lead candidates are polar opposites on the political spectrum.</s>A fresh crisis is brewing in the ranks of Nigeria’s ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) with at least four state governors prepared for battle with the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.

The state governors: Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara; Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo; Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, whose grievances border on the mode of primaries and automatic tickets issued to some serving senators, have either directly or through their surrogates attacked Mr Oshiomhole.

These governors, sometimes acting through their APC state chairpersons, have accused the national leadership of the party of imposition of candidates.

Some have also kicked against the mode of primaries adopted for their various states by then party headquarters.

On Tuesday, the national secretariat of the APC released a list of ‘cleared’ aspirants in a move to grant automatic tickets to some senators whom the party described as ‘loyal’, a move that has further worsened the frosty relationship between the governors and Mr Oshiomhole.

The action has affected cronies of governors warming up to dislodge senators allegedly at loggerheads with their governors.

The governors had insisted that party primaries be held to determine the party’s flag-bearer in the 2019 senatorial poll instead of the automatic endorsement of incumbent senators.

On Wednesday evening, Governors El-Rufai and Akeredolu, visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Both governors have a similar problem with Mr Oshiomhole. They accuse him of granting automatic senatorial tickets to a ‘disloyal’ senator from each of their states.

However, unlike Kaduna and Ondo states, the main grouse of the outgoing governors of Zamfara and Ogun states is with the stance of the national headquarters on their states’ governorship primaries.

In Zamfara State, Governor Abdulaziz Yari kicked against arrangements made to conduct direct primary to select the party’s governorship candidate.

The party had slated Thursday for the conduct of its primaries.

The direct primary was scheduled to commence on Tuesday, but the governor on Monday night said he would not allow the exercise to hold in his capacity as the chief security officer of the state.

One of the governor’s major complaints is the exclusion of the party executives from the exercise. He claimed this would lead to a breakdown of law and order.

The governor has also been at loggerheads with the senator representing Zamfara Central, Kabiru Marafa, which is believed to be why the governor is opposed to direct primaries in the state.

Mr Marafa, alongside seven other aspirants had advocated for direct primaries due to the factionalisation of the party.

One of the APC factions in the state is loyal to the governor while the other is loyal to Mr Marafa.

The primaries, which eventually commenced on Wednesday were ended abruptly amidst report of violence and deaths.

 With Mr Yari’s tenure coming to an end next year, the issue of the APC governorship candidate was yet to be resolved at the time of this report.

The major issue in Ondo State is the award of an automatic ticket by the National Working Committee of the party to the senator representing Ondo North senatorial district, Robert Boroffice, an action which the state chapter has kicked against.

The NWC gave the ticket to Mr Boroffice against the wish of the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.

Mr Boroffice has been at loggerheads with Mr Akeredolu since the latter’s 2016 governorship election when the senator supported another APC governorship aspirant.

The two other serving senators, Tayo Alasoadura (central) and Yele Omogunwa (south), were also awarded automatic tickets. Their opponents in the primaries were disqualified.

The state chapter of the party is urging the NWC to reverse the automatic nomination of Mr Boroffice in the interest of fairness to those who had been loyal to the party.

Similarly, aspirants to the Senate on the platform of the APC in the state also asked the NWC of the party to reverse its decision to disqualify them from contesting the primaries within 24 hours.

The aspirants, who addressed journalists in Akure on Wednesday, include human rights lawyer, Tunji Abayomi; former Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, Victor Olabintan and Lucky Ayedatiwa.

Just like Zamfara, the main grouse of Ogun State chapter of the APC with the national leadership is the mode of primaries.

The state chapter has accused the national body of ‘frustrating and unsatisfactory’ treatment which they said is being meted out to them over the governorship .

The state chapter of the party had accused the national leadership of postponing the exercise which was originally scheduled for Saturday for the third time without official notice to the state party secretariat.

The Ogun APC leaders recently vowed not to participate in the primaries unless the NWC officially writes to the state chapter to affirm a date and explain why ballot papers should be used for the direct primaries.

The Ogun APC leaders also accused the national chairman, Mr Oshiomhole, of plotting to impose a govdrnorship candidate on the party.

They accused the panel set up by Mr Oshiomhole to conduct the primaries of being “highly compromised.”

By Wednesday, two parallel governorship primaries held in Ogun producing two different candidates.

The automatic ticket that was recently given to Shehu Sani, a serving senator, has pitched the state chapter of the party against its national body.

Mr Sani, who is currently representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, was the only candidate cleared for the seat going by the list released by the APC national body on Tuesday, thereby, tactically disqualifying his rival, Uba Sani, a close ally of Governor El-rufai.

This action has led to the demand for the immediate upturning of the decision by the state chapter.

Perhaps sensing he may be outmanouevered by the APC headquarters, Uba Sani on Wednesday approached a High Court in Kaduna to stop the ruling party from conducting the primary to select the party’s candidate for the district.

The court ordered the APC, its chairman, Mr Oshiomhole, the electoral commission, INEC, and incumbent senator, Mr Sani, to maintain the status-quo prior to October 2, “when the APC excluded Uba Sani and other aspirants from the contest in favour of one aspirant”.

The currenr senator, Shehu Sani, has been ar loggerheads with Mr El-Rufai since 2015. The senator was suspended by the Kaduna APC loyal to the governor, a suspension upturned by the national leadership.

Shehu Sani was among senators many Nigerians expected to defect from the APC earlier this year. He, however, remained in the party due to the interventions of party leaders like Mr Oshiomhole and Bola Tinubu.

However, with Governor El-Rufai and his loyalists insisting on not allowing Shehu Sani run for senator, how Mr Oshiomhole resolves that crisis and others could be a major test of his leadership credentials.
Brazilians elect a new president (first round), state governors and parliaments.