2019: Automatic tickets for Gov. Bello, lawmakers, tear Niger APC apart

Minna

The plot to reserve automatic tickets for Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State the lawmakers from the state and National Assemblies, has ran into troubled waters.
The development has generated deepened the crisis rocking the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state as party loyalists and factions have stiffly resisted the plan to issue automatic tickets to the current elected office holders.
The factions are insisting that the party must conduct free and fair primaries devoid of manipulations by government and the party leadership.
Apparently irked by the development that would give automatic ticket to the governor, some members of the National Assembly from the state are said to have threatened to boycott the party unity rally slated for this Saturday in Minna during which the plan is scheduled to be endorsed.
The unity rally, it was learnt is in furtherance to the earlier peace meeting among members of the party which took place in Abuja last week where all the elected members of the party, except Senator representing Niger East senatorial district, Senator David Umoru, were in attendance.
Checks revealed that National Assembly members are not favourably disposed to the rally and its agenda to endorse second term tenure of all elected person demanding that every person should go back to the people.
The unity rally would be used to endorse President Mohammadu Buhari and the governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello for second terms in office.
However, the party leadership, which has been making frantic efforts to save the situation, has appointed Senator Abdullahi Rabi, representing Niger North senatorial district and spokesman of the Senate to convince his colleagues to accept the offer of endorsement.
Nonetheless, Senator Rabi’s peace mission is said to have met brick wall as the lawmakers have insisted that the idea of automatic tickets for all elected members in the state would not be a healthy for the party.
The secretary of the party Barrister Mohammed Liman told journalists in Minna yesterday that the proposed unity rally is in furtherance to the Abuja peace meeting which he said was solely meant to unite the aggrieved National Assembly members with the governor.

He said that the rift between the governor and the lawmakers informed the decision of the party executive to organize a reconciliation meeting in Abuja last week, adding that “all of them except Senator Umoru whom we were told was engaged in a legislative assignment, were in attendance”.
“In furtherance to the Abuja reconciliation meeting, the party has scheduled February 18, for a unity rally in Minna where members from across the state are expected to gather to brainstorm and chart a way forward”

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