‘Delegates’ List Causing Crisis in Niger APC’

Laleye Dipo

A crisis seems to be brewing in the Niger State All Progressives Congress (APC) over the alleged doctoring of the delegates list for the primary election of the party slated for this week.

Some delegates are already spoiling for show down if the alleged ‘fraudulent list’ is not jettisoned for the original ones known to them.

Investigation by THISDAY revealed that the outcry is louder among aspirants from the Niger North senatorial zone, where it is said that non delegates names have been inserted in the list to favour some specific senatorial and governorship candidates.

Specifically, the lists for Agwara, Rijau and Kontagora Local Government Areas were said to have been tampered with as the original names on the document painted with tipex and new names written on them.

Some stakeholders, who spoke to THISDAY on the condition of anonymity, warned the party leadership in the zone and the state “not to play with fire,” adding: “They can only force a candidate on us at the primary they cannot force a candidate on us at the general
election.

“Their power will only stop at the party level, but at the general election, the people will reply them, and that is when the people will also exercise their power with their votes,” one of the major stakeholders said.

One of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the party and a member of the House of Representatives from Chanchaga federal constituency, Mr. Mohammed Umar Bago, while reacting to the issue, warned the party to revert to the original delegates’ list to avoid crisis ahead of the primary election.

However, the North Central Zone Vice Chairman of the party, Mr. Bawa Rijau, did not buy the claim that the delegates lists has been tampered with, but said if the claim was true, the leadership of the party in the state should tread softly and avoid anything that will lead to crisis after the election.

The issue of the doctored list, THISDAY gathered, would form part of a joint press conference to be addressed by all governorship aspirants apart from Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, before the governorship primary election.