From John Adams, Minna
A major defection has hit the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state as one of the frontline gubernatorial aspirants in the just concluded Party Primaries, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi has dumped the party for the New Nigeria Political Party (NNPP).
This is coming barely one week after major stakeholders in the party, including the three senators from the state and other House of Representatives members shunned the peace parley conveyed by the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello at the government.
Alhaji Mohammed Malagi is expected to move with thousand of his supporters from the ruling party to the New Nigeria Political Party in the next few days and this is expected to cause a major tsunami in the ruling party.
But the state Secretary of the ruling APC Alhaji Ibrahim Khalid said the “defection of Malagi to the NNPP will not affect the fortunes of the APC in next years governorship election which we are set to win”
According to him, the NNPP and other opposition parties will be swept off next year, not minding the crisis among the key stakeholders in the state after the party Primaries.
Meanwhile Malagi shortly after his defection, has been handed the gubernatorial ticket of the NNPP for 2023 general election.
He was elected the standard bearer of the party at a special gubernatorial primaries on Tuesday in Minna, having polled 124 delegates votes in the primary where Dr Mukhtar Bala of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai was the returning officer.
The special gubernatorial primary was equally supervised by the National Legal Adviser of the party, Mr Horn Robert and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Recalled that NNPP had previously elected Alhaji Ibrahim Sokodeke as it Governorship candidate for the same 2023 election, but the State Organising Secretary of the party, Mr Anthony Francis disclosed that the fresh primary election was conducted under the directive of the National Secretariat of the party.
According to Francis the earlier primaries was “marred with irregularities resulting in contestants writing petitions to the party kicking against its outcome”
However the winner of the initial primary election, Alhaji Ibrahim Sokodeke has disassociated himself from the new arrangement, saying he never withdrew for anyone.
The embattled Sokodeke, in viral video, declared that “I am still the Governorship candidate of our party, the NNPP”, adding that “our teeming supporters to ignore any claim that i have withdrawn from the contest”
The Campaign Director General of Alhaji Malagi, Mr Idris Abubakar Azozo when contacted said he was not aware of any “plan by our principal to defect to any political party”.