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• Say Niger can’t afford opposition status
From John Adams, Minna
With barely 48 hours to March 18 Governorship and House of Assembly elections, stakeholders of 18 political parties in Niger state have collapsed structures in support of the APC governorship candidate Hon. Umar Bago as their sole Candidate.
The stakeholders said the state cannot vote to become opposition in the affairs of the country with the election of APC Presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President.
The Coordinator of the Political Alliance Summit in the state who is also the National Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Barrister Alfa Mohammed made the position of these political parties known while briefing newsman in Minna on Thursday ahead of the Governorship election.
According to him, the political parties had resolved to rally support for the APC governorship candidate, Umar Bago to save Niger state from becoming opposition state if another is allowed to grab the governorship in the Saturday election.
He said, ” All the 18 political parties participating in the forthcoming Governorship election in Niger state, along with the labour unions, notable elders, youths and women associations at a summit of political parties and stakeholders held in Minna today 16th day of March 2023, unanimously rejected the idea of voting and becoming an opposition state in the forthcoming Saturday Governorship election”.
He said the political summit group is very concerned that the chances of completing the on going federal projects in Niger state, such as the Baro Port, the Bida – Lambata, Minna, Suleja and Rijau – Kontagora roads can only be guaranteed under an APC Government led by Hon. Umar Mohammed Bago at the state level.
According to him, the summit resolved that , ” in view of the exhaustive deliberations on the future of Niger state in the incoming dispensation which has culminated in to a total rejection of opposition status for Niger state, it was unanimous resolve to stand with the Central Government of the APC under Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Therefore all the political parties in Niger state as represented at the summit have hereby endorsed Hon. Umar Mohammed Bago as our consensus Governorship candidate”.
According to the Coordinator, the political alliance summit reasoned that it would amount to political suicide for Niger to vote any other party into power on Saturday apart from the APC.
