Minna, the Niger State capital, was on Sunday agog as delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party overwhelmingly elected the 2015 governorship candidate, Alhaji Umar Nasko, as the party’s candidate for the 2019 general elections.
While announcing the result, the Chairman of the Congress Committee, Dr. Baraka Sani, said the total number of delegates were 2,894, while the total number of votes cast was 2,779, with two invalid votes.
Nasko, who scored 1,972 votes, defeated the former Deputy Governor of the state, Ambassador Ahmed Ibeto, who scored 516 votes.
Others are Engineer Muazu Hannafi Sudan with 157 votes, Hon. Ahmed Umar Doko-Koli 24 votes and Alhaji Aminu Mohammed Baka who polled 110 votes.
While congratulating the winner, State Chairman of the PDP, Barrister Tanko Beji, called on other aspirants to rally round and support the party’s candidate to victory come 2019.
In a similar situation, the Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, was on Sunday endorsed by members of the All Progressives Congress in the State as the party’s standard bearer for the 2019 gubernatorial election.
Bello, who was cleared by the national secretariat of the party, is APC’s sole candidate for office of the governor.
Subsequently, members of APC from the 274 wards of the state trooped out as early as 8am in their designated centres to participate in the direct primary option adopted by the state for the emergence of party’s candidates for all elective offices in the state.
The governor, who was at the Mustapha Comprehensive School centre for Kontagora Central Ward, Kontagora Local Government Area of the state for the governorship primary, expressed appreciation to party members for reposing confidence in him by returning him unopposed.
Bello said: “The members’ action have further humbled me and I am propelled to do more in the years to come.
“By 2019 our administration will continue the good works we started.
“It has been tough in the years past but there are still a lot of work to be done.
“We may have not been able you cover all sectors, this time we are determined to cover more grounds and ensure full actualisation of our set goals come 2019.”
Meanwhile, the returning officer for Kontagora Central Ward, Alhaji Lawal Abdullahi Madsngen, after the exercise disclosed that out of the 1,354 accredited members, 1,198 that turned up for voting, and they unanimously affirmed the governorship candidacy of Bello.
While addressing journalists, the state Chairman of the APC, Engr. Imam Jibrin, said the primaries went as planned, adding: “There were no crisis, especially as it is a sole aspirant.”