Mass Defection Looms in Niger APC

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Following what appears like the collapse of the consensus arrangements in picking candidates to fly the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the local government elections in Niger State slated for November 1 this year, a mass defection of members is apparently imminent from the party.

The state APC and the state Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, had recently announced that they settled for consensus arrangements as against direct or indirect primaries to ward off crisis and also save costs.

However, since the consensus arrangements was put into play in several local government branch of the party, according to findings  it had witnessed acrimony, manipulations and alleged financial inducements  by major players to skew the results in their favour against popular demands.

Principal stakeholders of the party, including the state Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba,  have also been fingered for allegedly circumventing the consensus policy in some local government areas including Shiroro, Magama, Agwara and Gawu- Babangida.

According to findings, some stakeholders angered by the development in Agwara LGA vented their annoyance on the APC local government secretariat, destroying part of the building.

A section of the stakeholders in Shiroro LGA claimed the state Deputy Governor, Garba, allegedly overturned the decision of the people by selecting his “man” as the candidate of the party for the local government elections.

Addressing a crowded press conference at the IBB Pen House in Minna, spokespersons of the aggrieved Shiroro LGA APC stakeholders, Alhaji Yakubu Justice Kuta and Alhaji Ilyasu Zarmai, warned that the area could turn its back on the APC in the election and subsequent elections in the country if the demand of the people is not met.

Kuta and Zarmai urged Governor Bago “ to listen to the voice of the people” before reminding him that several years back when similar incident occurred in the area the people spoke with their votes resulting in Shiroro LGA having the only opposition legislator in the state House of Assembly.

However, reacting to the allegation, the Deputy Governor, through a critical stakeholder from the area, Professor Bashar Nuhu Tachi, described the allegations as “baseless and unfounded.”

Garba said due process was followed in the choice of candidate for the chairmanship slot, adding that the electoral college set up rejected the three nominees put forward by the aggrieved stakeholders.

The deputy governor submitted that the flag bearer of the local government area, Alhaji Zaharadeen Babangida, “is a man of the people” as such should be backed by all for the position

Commenting on the situation also, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji S.K Sarkinkaji, insisted that the consensus arrangements was put in place to avoid crisis, adding that three nominees are expected to be sent to state secretariat out which one flag bearer would be picked for each local government area.