2023: Niger PDP Factions Reconcile, Vow to Unseat APC

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The two major factions in the opposition Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) in Niger State have reconciled and now vowed to use their new unity to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the GRA Government House in Minna.

At a stakeholders meeting held at the state secretariat of the party on Thursday, the leadership of the two factions were conspicuously present and addressed the large gathering of party faithful.

A prominent leader of the rival faction that boycotted last year’s state congress of the party, Mr Mukhtar Ahmed, led his team to the stakeholders’ meeting, while the national headquarters recognised state executive council and chairman of the party in the state, Mr Tanko Beji, was at the head of the other team.

Ahmed told the meeting that: “We have all reconciled our differences. We are abiding by the decision of the court which gave its ruling in favour of the Tanko Beji-led executive.”

The former House of Representatives member said: “It’s time for us to come together and wrestle power from the All Progressive Congress.”

Beji before addressing his party men and women invited Ahmed “to stand by my right hand to show that truly everything is over” and said: “In PDP, we are all one, everything is now over.”

He asked the leadership of the party at all levels in the state to eschew blackmail, gossip and backbiting, adding that “the APC will try to disunite us”.

Beji said: “The non-performance of the APC in the state cannot win the governorship election for us therefore we must redouble our efforts and mobilise our people in all the units and wards to support us and cast their ballots for the PDP in the 2023 elections.”

He stated that the PDP has uncovered a plot by the ruling party to use the present insecurity in the state to rig the 2023 elections, adding that: “The plan will not work.”

A former National Financial Secretary of the party, Mr Abdullahi Maibasira, also told the gathering that “PDP is back and back for good”.

Maibasira, who observed the terrible state of the Minna-Bida and Minna-Kontagora roads, promised that a PDP government will reconstruct the two roads in its first year in office.

Prominent members of the party in attendance at the stakeholders’ meeting were former Niger State Deputy Governor, Dr Shem Zagbayi Nuhu, Senator Zaynab Abdulkhadir Kure, and former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ndako Kpaki, among others.