Niger 2019: Nasko leads in guber opinion poll, unveils deputy

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

The Niger State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Nasko has assured that his team and party will surely rustle power from the APC administration of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello in the forthcoming governorship election.
Yahaya Mohammed Usman, the Director of Media and Communiqué of PDP Campaign Organization of Nasko, stated this yesterday in a press statement issued in Minna.
Usman said that survey conducted by independent organization showed that Nasko was far ahead of incumbent Governor Abubakar Sani Bello with 80% chances than the governor who polled 20%.
He said that the signals were very clear to the APC led administration of Governor Sani Bello to start preparing his handover notes for 2019, adding that, “with this development in PDP, we have served the APC administration quit notice and I advise him to prepare his handover notes now.”
He argued that the development of the state has remained stagnant for the past over three years, adding that the state has been taken back 10 years, while infrastructures have decayed without serious attention from the administration.
Consequently, the state PDP chairman, Bar. Tanko Beji has announced Bar. Mohammed Ndayeko as the running mate to the party’s governorship candidate Alhaji Umar Mohammed Nasko.
Beji said, “the PDP gubernatorial candidate of Niger state for the 2019 governorship election, Umar Nasko, after due consultation with PDP stakeholders has endorsed the nomination of Barrister Mohammed Ndayeko as his running mate in the upcoming governorship race.”
He disbanded his campaign team and set up inclusive campaign organization as members.
The composition of the new campaign team were Abdullahi Kpotun as Director General (DG), Ndako Idris Kpaki deputy DG, Garba Abubakar Youth mobilizer, Mrs Deborah Salau Women mobilizer, Kadi A Kuta Director non formal sector, Yahaya Baba Director media and communique while Yahuza Passi Director advance party.
According to Beji the campaign advisory committee comprises of the State party chairman and Secretary as well as zonal chairmen and Secretaries, all senatorial candidates, all former speakers and former party chairmen, as well as the former governors and deputies are members.
He said that the party primary was peaceful, leaving the Appeal Committee with no single petition; hence any small problem was an in house fight. He called for the sustainable unity among the party members while reassuring them of the leadership commitments for the success of the party to rustle power from the ruling party APC.
The leader of the party and former Governor of the state, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu said the party is lucky this time around to have peaceful primaries unlike what destabilized the PDP in 2015.
Aliyu, who debunked the rumor in same quarters of nearly replacing Nasko, emphasized that only God can remove him as the candidate; and cannot get it the way it was speculated. He stressed the need for a united house to enter the election proper.