Ministerial portfolio: We were shortchanged, says Niger APC

John Adams ,Minna

As Nigerians and various interest groups continue to react to portfolios allocated to the newly inaugurated ministers by President Mohammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, has expressed reservations over the junior ministerial position allocated to the state.

Chieftain of the party and former commissioner for information  and strategy, Jonathan Vatsa, who spoke to newsmen in Minna, said the state felt shortchanged for the junior minister position allocated to it in view of its contribution to the party’s victory in the 2015 and 2019 elections.

The former publicity secretary of the party believed that the state deserved more than what it got.

“In 2015, we dismantled all the opposition parties structures in the state and made it 100 percent APC state. Also in 2019, we worked tirelessly and repeated the same feet, and overwhelmingly delivered the state at all levels, but unfortunately the only thing we got for our efforts was junior ministers in 2015 and 2019.

“In 2015, Bawa Buhari was given minister of state for solid mineral resources and now in 2019 Ambassador Zubairu Dada has been asked to take ministry of state for foreign affairs”.

Vatsa argued that states that could not boast of a single seat delivered to the party in the two elections were rewarded with either senior minister or two ministerial positions.

“It beat my imagination that a non-APC state that contributed little or nothing to the party during the elections is being rewarded with two ministerial slots. Even some APC states that did not perform like Niger State in the elections were rewarded with senior minister’s position,” he said.

“We felt shortchanged as a state because hard work was not rewarded, and above all equity, justice and FairPlay were over looked in the allocation of ministerial portfolios by Mr. President”.