- * Delegates From APC Chairman’s Local Govt Boycott Exercise
By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state has emerged winner at the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for Niger North Senatorial district (zone C) of the state ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The governor defeated the incumbent Senator representing the zone, Senator Abdullahi Aliyu Sabi, with 335 votes while the later got 7 votes in the fiercely contested senatorial primaries which took place at Teacher's House, Kontagora, in Niger State.
Alhaji Adamu Abdulkarim, the Returning Officer who announced the results, said the incumbent Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, got 335 votes while the current occupant of the seat, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi, scored 7 votes, and one invalid vote was recorded.
The Returning Officer further disclosed that delegates from Borgu whose number he did not make public boycotted the APC senatorial primaries.
“A total of 343 votes were casted, out of 435 registered voters. Delegates from Borgu Local Government Area where the state APC chairman, Alhaji Haliru Jikantoro hails from, boycotted the party’s Senatorial primaries”.
However, midway into the unfolding political intrigues between the two contestants, the Agent standing in for Senator Sabi walked out less than one hour after the commencement of the process, over alleged ‘non- enabling environment’.
Governor Bello, in an interview shortly after he was declared winner as the zone C APC senatorial flag bearer for the 2023 elections, expressed happiness over the outcome of the exercise and called on his opponent to accept the outcome in the spirit of sportsmanship.
Describing the process as free and fair, Governor Bello encouraged Nigerlites to maintain the campaign tempo in an orderly manner so as to ensure victory for the APC. He urged his opponent and the people of the zone to expect better days ahead.
Governor Bello also challenged the security agencies to live up to the expectations of the citizenry by ensuring that law and order are maintained across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state, including non-carrying of dangerous weapons, to ensure the safety of the citizens.
Bello however expressed worry over the huge sums of money deployed for the recent elections. He said, “The elections have witnessed deployment of lots of resources and I am worried about this because the huge sums of money cannot guarantee good leadership”.
According to him, “It means that when you have money, regardless of how you got it, regardless of who you are, regardless of your integrity and character, as long as you have the money, you can easily get elected”.
Bello, while soliciting for a national re-orientation which provides for individual’s track records and credibility as yardstick for electing or appointing persons into positions said, “I have my reservations in this monetary induced politics/election and that is the truth".
Meanwhile, the incumbent Senator for Niger East Senatorial district (Zone B), Senator Sani Musa (Sani 313) defeated his only rival, Alhaji Ibrahim Dada, to retain the Senatorial ticket of the district, with 492 votes against 2 votes by his opponent.
For the Niger-South (zone A), incumbent Senator Muhammaed Bima Enagi, scored 314 votes out of the 439 accredited delegates to defeat; Dr. Ibrahim Liman and the other opponent. NNL.
