.Canvasses political appointments for non-indigenes
By Ummi Ismaeel,
Minna
The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger State has said that the activities of Kwankwasiyaar, a group fronting for the presidential candidature of the former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is no threat to the party and government in the state.
The party also advised state governors to end the ‘‘indigene and non-indigenes’’ syndrome and imbibe an all inclusive government by giving appointments to citizens from other states as part of measures to promote lasting peace among the country’s over 250 ethnic nationalities.
Niger State APC Chairman, Mohammed Imam, after receiving an award on behalf of Governor Abubarkar Sani Bello from youth organization in Minna said that it had become expedient to evolve means to enthrone lasting peace among all Nigerians.
Mohammed, who expressed optimism that cries of marginalization would soon end if state governments adopt nationalistic approach to governance by appointing distinguished non-indigenes resident in their respective states as cabinet members.
Offering political appointments to non-Nigerlites is one of the policies the APC government inherited from its predecessor in the state and it has helped to sustaining of peaceful co-existence in the state, the APC chairman stated.
According to the chairman, “To promote peace among all Nigerians and to sustain one of the legacies inherited from the previous administration for an all-inclusive government in Niger State, political appointments were extended to non-indigenes”.
Apparently reacting to the plea by the Igbo community to be given political appointment considering their contributions to the socio-economic and political wellbeing of the state, the APC chieftain said that the Governor Bello administration was trying to ‘carry everyone’ along.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Imam has debunked insinuations that activities of a group supporting the Presidential bid of the former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was threatening the peace in APC and government of Niger State.
The Kwankwasiyaar political group which has, red cap with a particular design as its symbol had acquired an office opposite Zagbayi Pharmacy, along Bosso road, where its activities are almost overshadowing that of the ruling APC in Niger State.
The Kwankwasiyaa Movement, though with no party logo or party allegiance to it, is largely responsible for not only fractionalization of the state APC but part of the reasons for recent sack of some cabinet members by Governor Bello who is said not to be comfortable with the noticeable distractions.
Membership of the group are drawn mostly from the APC while pockets of others are from the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and others whom our correspondent also learnt are working secretly for Kwankwaso to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari come 2019.
But the party chairman, Imam, said, “They are part of us, we are one. All the groups are part of us and there is no way you can now say that the Kwankwasiyaa group is another political party or having different affiliations than us”.
Apart from being distracted by 2019 general election, a source close to the state government told our correspondent that the sacked cabinet which is yet to be reconstituted was largely because some commissioners suspected to be holding allegiance to the former Vice President, Atiku Abubarkar, and Kwankwaso needed to be ‘taught a lesson’.
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