ByUsman Bala
Saturday’s delegates for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ward Congress in Niger State settled for consensus candidates as the event ended before 1pm.
With the arrangement, there was no voting in all the wards across the 25 councils of the state except registration of candidates, affirmation of the officials, followed by the selection of delegates that will represent the wards during the local government congress scheduled for this week.
While many of the members had expected election, it was however gathered that the idea of consensus was muted and foisted on the party members by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello after series of meetings penultimate week at the Government House when final arrangements were concluded.
Some of the delegates had confided on our correspondent on how Governor Bello mandated that no election would hold except for endorsements and affirmations, warning that anything on the contrary would not be acceptable to him.
A delegate from Tudun Wada Ward, Chachanga Local Government Council spoke to our correspondent.
He said, ‘‘We are acting on the orders of the Governor. We cannot do otherwise.
“Apart from the Governor’s directive, they were also made to understand that another directive from the national headquarters of the APC that all the Ward officials should be returned to avoid crisis during the primaries.”
Our correspondent however observed that some people had filed out, waiting to vote in Paikoro, Paiko council only to be told later that a list of confirmed officials had already been submitted to the state INEC officials in Minna.
The congresses were however generally peaceful in all the three senatorial zones in the state.