The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger State has set up a 14-man committee to plan a successful party’s governorship primaries to pick candidate that will fly its flag in the next year’s governorship election.
State party Chairman, Tanko Beji, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the preparations ahead of the contest at the party’s state secretariat along eastern by-pass, Minna, the state capital.
He said that five contestants were to slug it out for the number one seat of Niger State on Sunday, September 30, 2018.
Beji said that the battle would be between the immediate past Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa and former Deputy Governor, Ambassador Ahmed Musa Ibeto; former Chief of Staff and former Commissioner, Alhaji Muhammad Umar Nasko, both served in the immediate past dispensation.
Beji said, two other contestants from same zone ‘C’ (Niger-North), where the incumbent Governor Abubarkar Sani Bello hails from are Alhaji Mu’azu Hannafi Sudan and Alhaji Umar Ahmed, while the fifth contestant from zone ‘A’ (Niger-South) is Alhaji Ahmed Baka.
“Four of the aspirants; Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Nasko, Alhaji Mu’azu Hannafi Sudan and Alhaji Umar Ahmed are from zone ‘C’ senatorial district, while Alhaji Aminu Baka is the only aspirant from the Niger-South senatorial (zone ‘A’)”.
Beji commended the aspirants for conducting their campaigns in peaceful and orderly manner without hate speeches from anyone.
He said, “The only woman that initially signaled her intention to run for governorship reportedly chickened out. Everything has been put in place to ensure that we conduct a hitch free gubernatorial primaries election”.
The gubernatorial primaries committee, under the chairmanship of the former Deputy Governor of Niger State, Dr. Shem Zagbayi Nuhu, he said would ensure that everything was put in place ahead of the arrival of the national gubernatorial committee coming from Abuja.
Meanwhile, Senatorial primary election to select candidates that will fly the party’s flag in the 2019 senatorial election would hold simultaneously in the headquarters of the three zones; Bida, Kontagora and Minna.
