From Gyang Bere, Jos
The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Jos North/Bassa federal constituency of Plateau State by-election, Hon Joseph Abbey Aku, has expressed confidence that he would emerge victorious during the Saturday by-election.
He explained that the acrimonious that came up during the party primaries has been addressed with all aspirants who contested with him.
Hon Aku disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing ahead of the Saturday by-election at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Plateau State Council.
He expressed optimism that his capability and competency is enough to garner support for him in all communities in Jos North and Bassa Local Government Areas where he has visited.
‘Shortly after the party primaries, I have been talking with all the aspirants who contested the primaries with me, they have remained loyal members of the APC and we will work together with them to emerge victorious.
‘We are engaging members of the constituency across the ethnic and religious divides and we will continue to meet with the people to fashion out modalities that we will win the election.’
Hon Aku dispelled rumours of the defection of the APC supporters on Jos North Local Government Area to an opposition party and said to the best of his ability, nobody has moved anywhere apart from one person who joined a different party.
‘For those in Jos North, I am engaging those who are still in the party, but for those who left the party based on the reason known to them, I cannot engage them because I will not be seen to be working in line of the party constitution.
‘I am confident of winning the election because I have been able to canvass after the primaries, I went around for a thank-you tour on all the wards that we have in the constituency.
‘I am still engaging all the communities; the politics in Jos North has its own peculiarity and it is different to the one in Bassa. In Jos North, you deal with communities, the Yoruba, the Igbo and the major communities that constituted the local government area.’