APC Primaries: Niger East and North Affirmation, South to Vote
By Yahaya Zakka Minna
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State announced that the primaries for the party’s senatorial candidates in Niger East and Niger North will be conducted through affirmation. Conversely, delegates in Niger South will select their candidate via voting.
Alhaji Musa Sarkinkaji, APC Publicity Secretary in Niger, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Monday in Minna.
He commended Governor Umaru Bago and other party leaders for their relentless efforts in reconciling aspirants ahead of the primaries.
He noted that the party has over 100 aspirants vying for House of Assembly seats, as well as several candidates for senatorial positions across the state.
Sarkinkaji stated that aspirants in Niger North agreed to step aside in favor of former governor Sen. Abubakar Sani-Bello, who remains the consensus candidate.
Additionally, the governor held multiple meetings to reconcile aspirants for the Niger East senatorial seat.
“The issues were resolved, and stakeholders agreed to allow the incumbent senator, Sen. Sani Musa, to continue,” he said.
He explained that efforts to reconcile aspirants in Niger South were unsuccessful due to the large number of contenders.
The governor subsequently directed that the ticket be decided through a transparent primary election.
“The governor did his best to reconcile the Niger South aspirants, but they could not resolve their differences among themselves.”
He added that the primaries in Niger South will be conducted to ensure free and fair voting, with party leadership overseeing the process.
Sarkinkaji assured party members that officials conducting the primaries were selected from various districts to ensure credibility.
He urged party members and the public to refrain from spreading rumors, especially concerning the recent House of Representatives primary held on Saturday.
