Reconstitution of NSIEC: Gov Bago Obeyed the Law, Says Niger APC

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has said the Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Umaru Bago, obeyed the law in his reconstitution of the State Independent Electoral Commission.

The PDP in the state had last week cried foul when the 7-man list was released, saying they are all members of the APC and would be compromised in the discharge of their assignment in the conduct of local government election.

However, the APC in a statement made available to newsmen and signed by its Publicity Secretary Musa Sarkinkaji (SK) said all the nominees had since resigned their memberships of the ruling party, making them eligible to serve in the Commission.

He said “there is no aspect of the law that stops a person that had resigned his membership of the party he belonged to from being nominated into the Commission”.

Going down memory lane, the APC spokesman said card carrying members of the PDP were nominated into the Commission by former Governor, the late Abdulkhadir Kure, as well as former Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu and the immediate past Governor (now Senator) Abubakar Sani Bello.

“What is important is to get people of impeccable characters to serve in this important commission and that is what Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has done,” Sarkinkaji said before asking the PDP to have confidence in the ability of the nominees to discharge their responsibilities without bias to any political party but the growth and development of democracy in the state.

The APC spokesman said he would not speak for the proposed chairman of the Commission who was alleged to have been found guilty of corruption but added that: “We advice Engineer Jibrin Imam to seek redress in court for damage done to his reputation by the PDP”.

“As we await the screening and clearance of these eminent Nigerlites we have absolute confidence that they will perform creditably in the assignment the people of the state has given them. All we need is everyone’s including prayers for them to succeed in conducting a peaceful local government election.”