The governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello, has said he has rejected all requests for him to intervene All Progressive Congress (APC) primary election that produced the party’s gubernatorial candidate.
Mr. Bello, who will complete his second term on May 29, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during a fundraising dinner for Umar Bago, the APC governorship candidate in Niger State.
Mr. Bago, a member of the House of Representatives, lose Mohammed Malagi, the publisher of Blueprint newspaper, is the deputy governor of the state.
While canvassing support for candidates, Mr. Bello said he deliberately refused to interfere in the primary as against the usual practice of incumbents handpicking successors.
“I deliberately refused to participate in the primaries despite all the pressure, all the lobbying. I said you know what? Let the will of the people come true. If you let the will of the people speak, you won’t have a problem in the general election.
“What we are seeing now in Niger State – the acceptance, the reception during the campaign is a consequence of allowing the people to choose who they want.
“The campaign has been completed in two zones and I can tell you that in these two zones, we scored 90 percent,” he said.
The governor, therefore, contributed N8 million to Mr. Bago’s campaign.
Speaking to reporters, the gubernatorial aspirant said fundraising is a critical part of his campaign as he cannot finance the election on his own.
He said combating insecurity in the country was his top agenda. He added that with close collaboration with traditional rulers, insecurity in Niger State would be overcome.
“We want to collaborate with traditional institutions to prevent insecurity.
“We have been around Niger to campaign. We have seen how people live and how our bush and how our local government.
READ ALSO: Stop inviting foreign powers to interfere in Nigeria’s affairs – Masari
“There is a government at the center in the country that must connect with traditional institutions and local institutions to prevent insecurity,” he said.
For the past few years, Niger State has been vulnerable to bandits and other terror groups operating in North-central Nigeria.
The country has witnessed several cases mass kidnapping in recent years.
Support journalism integrity and credibility PREMIUM TIMES
Good journalism costs a lot of money. But only good journalism can guarantee the possibility of a good society, responsible democracy, and transparent government.
For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country, we ask that you consider making a modest contribution to this noble effort.
By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you help keep journalism relevant and ensure it remains free and available to all.
contribute
AD TEXT: Call Willie – +2348098788999
