.Reveals how Ibeto lost ministerial slot
The All Progressive Congress (APC) Chairman, in Niger State, Jibril Imam, has said that the party was united.
He also said that the n-PDP and/or the Reformed-APC (R-APC) were no threat to APC in the state.
His words: “There is nothing like the n-PDP in Niger state or anywhere in Nigeria. We also don’t have, what do you call it, R-APC or whatever you call it in Niger State, the APC is one and intact.”
Besides, the chairman disclosed that the state APC was not responsible for the striking out of the name of the former deputy governor, Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto, from President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list at the inception of the administration.
Ibeto was the deputy to former Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu. He defected to the APC and had worked against the then ruling PDP, the party platform that brought him into political limelight in favour of APC.
He made the clarification as a guest to the second edition of the ‘‘Watch House Forum,’’ an interactive forum organised by the Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the IBB Pen House, Minna.
The chairman said that allowing the former deputy Governor, Musa Ibeto, who is now Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, a ministerial slot would have affected political calculations in Niger State.
According to him, “Musa Ibeto was dropped to balance Niger State’s political equations. The governor specifically made that request to Buhari that the name of Ibeto be dropped from the ministerial list so that all the three zones will benefit”.
Imam also debunked claims that, political appointments by the Governor Sani Bello-led administration favoured some local government councils or zones against others in terms of appointments into key positions in the state.
“Except for positions where professional skills are required, every zone and councils have equal representation in government appointments”, he said, adding however that there were lopsidedness in appointments but he was able to get the Governor to correct the imbalance.
