The Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, on Saturday disclosed that the shift of registration for the Permanent Voter Cards in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission is a good omen.
Aliyu said: “It is better to have it delayed than have many people disenfranchised.”
Aliyu disclosed this after casting his vote at the Peoples Democratic Party House of Assembly primaries for Chanchaga Constituency at the U. K. Bello Arts Theatre, Minna.
According to him: “The shift by INEC will not bring negative effect on voters.
“I don’t think so.
“INEC Chairman had sent a special delegation to explain to me why they shifted it.
“I think it is better to have the shift than to have the kind of problem, which we noticed in other states, but they told me logistics reasons were why our own needed to be shifted.
“I believe if voter cards will get to Nigerians, we will still be ready for the February elections.
“I don’t see any negative impact.
“It is better to delay it and have it perfectly done than having many people disenfranchised.”
Governor Aliyu assured members of the PDP that all the security agencies are in place in all the venues, where it may be difficult for any reason to have an election or to have delegates to participate actively.
He however advised that to achieve credible result in the country, democracy must be taken to local government levels.
He said: “We will get it wrong if we don’t go to the grass root.
“My opinion is that democracy starts at the gocal government level.
“If we get it right at the ward and local government levels, believe me the state and federal levels will be normal.
“But where you do not take it where people are, there must be problem.
“In Niger State, we respect our local arrangement of zoning and if we zone a particular office, we may not stop others as a result of democracy.
“We may not stop them from contesting but we hope that our delegates will vote in accordance with the local arrangement that has been in place.”
Announcing the result of Chanchaga Constituency of PDP House of Assembly primaries, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Aminu Gwargwaje, said that 66 was the total number of vote cast, with Jumai Jafaru having 27 votes; Jamilu Saidu, 19; Muazu Madaki got five votes; Saria Kesiu, five votes; and Fati Abubakar, seven votes.
There were three invalid votes.