Former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Lawal Daura, has rejected the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate selection process in Katsina State and insisted that he remains in the governorship race.

Daura, who addressed supporters in Katsina on Sunday, said he does not recognise any reported consensus arrangement within the party and dismissed suggestions that he had stepped down to contest for the Daura Senatorial District seat.

He maintained that his ambition to become governor remains unchanged.

“I entered the race for the governorship from the outset, and I have not changed that position. I remain fully committed to my aspiration,” he said.

The former security chief is the second governorship aspirant in the state to publicly challenge the party’s selection process, following similar objections raised by former Secretary to the Katsina State Government, Mustapha Inuwa, who alleged that no valid primary election was conducted and called for fresh primaries.

Daura questioned the legitimacy of the process that reportedly produced a consensus candidate, arguing that it did not comply with the Electoral Act and the party’s internal guidelines.

He said aspirants had insisted that the party either conduct a properly managed consensus arrangement or hold direct primary elections in line with legal provisions.

“We have consistently maintained that the process must follow the provisions of the law, either through a properly conducted consensus arrangement or through direct primary elections,” he said.

Daura also expressed concern over the lack of transparency in consultations among aspirants, saying participants were not adequately briefed on how the alleged consensus was reached.

“There have been claims that a consensus was achieved, but none of the five aspirants has been clearly informed of the process that produced such an outcome,” he said.

He added that meetings involving senior party leaders failed to provide sufficient clarity on reconciliation efforts and outcomes, insisting that due process must be followed.

“As a community leader and elder, I cannot endorse any process that lacks fairness and transparency,” he said.

The former SSS Director-General warned that he may approach the court if the party fails to adhere to legal provisions in determining its governorship candidate.

“If the law is not complied with, one of the things to do is to go to court and make sure that it is enforced,” he said.

He also hinted at possible political realignments should the dispute remain unresolved.

“Another option is probably to have some realignment and review our position and the way we move forward,” he said.

Despite the tensions, Daura reaffirmed his commitment to contesting the governorship, saying Katsina State requires strong leadership to address worsening security and economic challenges.

“Katsina State is in dire need of rescue, security-wise, economy-wise and in every respect,” he said.

He further stated that he is well qualified for the position, adding that his decision is driven by a desire to serve.

“I am qualified, even overqualified, for the position. My decision to seek the governorship is because of my love for Katsina State and my desire to rescue my people,” he said.

His position comes amid growing internal disputes within the ADC over candidate emergence in Katsina State.

The party has, however, defended its selection process. National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said while the process was not perfect, it remains valid.

“We are the first to admit that what we did was not perfect. There was no way it would have been perfect,” he said.

He explained that the party is handling appeals arising from the exercise and has not yet announced final results.

“No result of the primary has been officially announced as I speak with you because there are still a lot of these issues on appeal,” he said.

Abdullahi added that the party would not hesitate to invalidate outcomes where credible evidence of wrongdoing or manipulation is established.