Niger APC Congress: 83 jostle for positions with 1800 delegates

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

All Progressive Congress (APC) have cleared 83 candidates to contest elections for various positions in the Niger state congress of the party.

Eight candidates have signified their interests in the position of the party chairman in the state while 1800 delegates have been cleared to participate in the congress.

Those cleared for the party chairmanship position include the former commissioner in the state, Idris Abubakar Azozo, Engineer Mohammed Inuwa Zakari, Honourable Solomon Yaze, Adamu Saidu Erana, Idris Mohammed, Abubakar Idris Kantaba, Engineer Mohammed Jibrin Imam and Abdulkadir Shehu Nafutua.

It was gathered that four other candidates sloging it out for the position of state secretary were cleared by the state congress committee and that they include Mohammed Ahmed Ketso, Barrister Mohammed Lima, Umaru Ndana and Yusuf Sulieman.

Our findings revealed that the congress earlier scheduled for Saturday was shifted to Sunday because the party was denied the use of the trade fair complex earlier booked by the party.

Chairman of the Niger state congress committee, Barrister Usman Dalhatu Batagarawa, from Katsina state disclosed in an interview that the committee had applied for the use of the Bako Kontagora stadium and the trade fair complex but were told at the last minute that they will not be available.

According to Dalhatu, this had affected the arrangement put in place as the committee had to scout for a place that could accommodate 1800 delegates from the 25 local governments of the state for the election.

He noted that the Abdulsalami Youth Centre that was latter secured was not big enough to take all the delegates at a go, adding that accreditation only took place on Saturday.

Dalhatu assured that the election will be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner while he called for the understanding of all stakeholders of the party in the state.

As at 3.35pm yesterday when our reporter visited the venue of the congress at Abdulsalami Youth centre, arrangement for the election were still being fine tuned.