Five gubernatorial aspirants are to vie for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket at the primaries slated for September 30th in Niger state, Barrister Tanko Beji, the State chairman has disclosed.
Addressing newsmen at the party secretariat in Minna on Wednesday, Barrister Beji also revealed that eight aspirants would fight for the three senatorial seats billed for October 2nd.
Among the gubernatorial aspirants, according to him, are former Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, Ahmed Ibeto; the party’s governorship candidate in 2015 elections in the state, Umar Mohammed Nasko; Alhaji Aminu Mohammed Baka; Alhaji Umar Ahmed and Engr. Hanafi Sudan.
Out of the five aspirants, four, which include Ibeto, Nasko, Umar and Sudan are from Zone C like the incumbent Governor Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, while Aminu Baka is from Zone A.
Barrister said 2,809 delegates drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state are expected to participate in the governorship primaries of the party.
He said three contenders are expected to vie for the Niger East senatorial ticket, while four would fight for the Niger South ticket, even as Sani Mohammed Ubah of the Niger North is unopposed.
Similarly, he also explained that 27 aspirants would slug it out for the 10 federal constituency seats in the primaries slated for October 3rd with aspirants from two of the constituencies, Bida/Katcha/Gbako and Borgu/Agwara contesting unopposed.
He noted that 62 aspirants are expected to contest for the 27 state assembly seats slated for October 4th with eight contesting unopposed.
He said the party decided to adopt open primaries in its bid to give all aspirants opportunity to test their popularity, even as he promised that the party would ensure a free, fair and transparent primaries for all positions.
He stated that all the aspirants going by the screening carried out, are eminently qualified for the positions they individually aspired for, even as he praised them for playing according to rules of the game so far.
He said the party’s executive is working round-the-clock to ensure the success of the exercises.
