John Adams, Minna

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger state says the last five years of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state has been a complete waste, saying that “nothing has changed” in the last five years.

The party said the inability of the APC government in the state to commission a single a single project is enough to show that five precious years have been wasted.

The party claims that most roads in the state are still in deplorable states while people cannot sleep with their two eyes closed as a result of bandits attacks.

The immediate past Chairman of the party who is seeking re-election for the second term, Alhaji Tanko Beji gave the assessment of the government while speaking to newsmen in Minna.

He described as unfortunate, a situation where the morale of the people in the state has been dampened because the APC has not given the “much promised change.

“They (APC) have not lived up to expectation; they should have done better. Nigerlites have learnt they will do what is right at the right time.”

Beji was full of praises for the people of the state for their patience and resilience in the face of these daunting challenges in the last five years assuring that “very soon things will change for the better.”

He however pointed out that the people must have learnt their lesson for the choice they made in 2015.

Beji who debunked insinuations that PDP in the state is engulfed in tribal and ethnic war ahead of its congresses, urged party faithful to eschew ethnic and religious considerations while making their choice of new leaders for the party.

He maintained that the party has in the last couple of years operated as one indivisible family not minding the areas of the state where its leadership come from, adding that any attempt to bring religion and ethnicity into our affairs will spell doom for the party.

He reminded the supporters of the party that most national officers of the party from the state are presently from one ethnic nationality with all of us lending them our support saying” we should not truncate the peace and unity we have in our party now with ethnic and religious considerations”.

The PDP chieftain claimed he has already traversed 19 out of the 25 local government areas of the state adding that from what the people are saying ” I am optimistic that I will be returned as chairman” pointing out that most of the leaders of the party in the three senatorial zones of the state are on his campaign team indicating their ” support for me.”

He promised to carry out a major reform of the party if reelected stressing that a reward system for all that contribute to the growth of the party will be introduced even as he also said that the administration of the party will be taken to the grassroot where the people are.

Beji threw his weight behind the zoning of elective and party positions because “zoning has made it easy for us to determine which area of the state should get any position at a given time”.