Niger APC Moves to Pick Consensus Candidate for National Chairmanship

Laleye Dipo in Minna

With the February 26 date for the national convention of the APC drawing near, the state chapter of the party has said that it is working towards having a consensus candidate to contest the position in Niger State.

This is just as the reconciliation committee has indicted the national local government congress committees for violating laid down procedures thereby creating crisis within the party.

The State Chairman of APC, Mr. Haliru Zakari Jikantoro, said in Minna yesterday after receiving the report of the reconciliation committees which he set up after his election last year that the number of aspirants for the chairmanship position from the state are too many and could be counterproductive.

Jikantoro said: “At the last count there are three aspirants from the state, Senator Sani Musa, Mr. Saidu Etsu, and Mr. Abubakar Bawa Bwari.

“We are looking at the consensus option. We hope we will achieve this before the February 26 date for the national convention.”

He added that the major interest of the state is to ensure that “someone from this state became the national chairman of the party and that is what we are working to achieve.

He, however, declined to say who the favored aspirant from the state is but said “they are all our members and we will work for anyone we agree to fly our flag.”

Commenting on the report of the committee, Jikantoro said the panel has done a good job “and we have started seeing the results of their job.”

The APC chieftain promised that all aspects of the report would be looked into and implemented, adding that with everyone on board we are sure of victory in the 2023 general elections.

The Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee and former Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Mr. Abubakar Bawa Bwari, in his report indicted the Local Government Congresses committees for disregarding laid down protocol in the discharge of their duties, which caused the many crises in the state chapter of the party.

According to Bwari, the national local government congresses committees supposed to adopt “the bottom up approach” but preferred the “top to bottom option,” which caused crisis adding that the issue of “godfatherism” also played prominent role in generating the crisis.

He, however, said that apart from two local governments, the reconciliation committee was able to reconcile all the aggrieved party members including the faction led by the former State Chairman of the APC, Mr. Jibrin Imam, adding that some of the court cases are already being withdrawn in line with the “peace agreement” reached with the feuding members.

Bwari in answer to a question from newsmen confirmed his interest in becoming the national chairman of the APC, but when asked about the issue of consensus he was evasive saying it is God that gives and take positions as He wishes.