By Abdullai Musa
Minna
Democracy was Saturday, May 19, 2018 ridiculed, as many contestants who bought forms for the All Progressives Congress (APC) state congresses in Niger State were forced by the party to accept consensus candidates.
The same measure the party used in its recent Ward and Local Government Council congresses.
As many delegates from the 25 local councils of the state went home disappointed, some vowed to defect to other parties, while majority protested in Minna, the state capital, condemning the party’s decision.
The situation was however worsened when the APC’s National Electoral Committee Chairman in charge of Niger State, Senator Domingo Obende, confirmed that the delegates had agreed for affirmations and consensuses instead of election.
Obende was midway into the announcement when he was interrupted by one of the contestants for the state Women Leader, Hajia Mairo Mohammed, who busted into tears, lamenting that her mandate had been stolen by “some people in the APC” she refused to mention their names.
The aggrieved woman’s cries against the alleged injustices and lack of democracy in the APC further sparked more protests from various angles thereby creating tension inside the Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, venue of the state congress.
Acknowledging the protests, the electoral committee chairman said, “It is normal in an event like this for protests to erupt, however, the most important thing is that they are in the minority. The majority will always have their say at the end of the day”.
Senator Abdullahi Sabi, representing Niger-North Senatorial district, moved the motion for affirmation of all the 34 Niger APC state executive, while the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Ahmed Marafa, supported the motion for the affirmation.
The local government areas that were in disagreement with the affirmations included Agaie, Gbako, Kontagora, Tafa, Katcha, Bida, Lavun, Mashegun, Lapai while the contentious positions are the party state Secretary, Woman Leader, Public Relations Officer and the State Organizing Secretary.
Addressing her supporters, the aggrieved contender for the seat of the Woman Leader, Mairo Mohammed, vowed to fight to regain what she believed was her mandate.
