All Progressives Congress (APC) Niger state Chairman, Engineer Mohammed Jibrin Imam, gives reasons the state is rooting for continuity for state, national and local council executives. In this interview with AIDELOJE OJO, he speaks on many other issues.
How prepared is the APC for the ward congresses The party was well prepared for the ward congress that held on May 5, last Saturday. We held lots of meetings with the stakeholders at the ward level and carried out sensitization and enlightenment programmes at the local and state levels.
So the electorate were well informed about the exercise. You know that this was the first time the party executive was conducting congress of the party, so it became imperative for us to have elaborate information to ensure free, fair and peaceful congress at all levels.
But the heat is already on even at the national level? There is no heat in the state so we cannot use national to judge the state. Yes the national is different from the state, the state is different from the local government and the local government is different from the ward level and you know we have polling units. You see the strata so we need to synergise to be able to calm people down.
Talking about the national convention of the party, in the matter of national chairman, on whose side will Niger State APC take? We will toe the line of the state governor. You know in politics you cannot say that you are in a particular position until the D- day that you can actually know what is going to happen. However, Niger state will go wherever the state Governor goes when we reach the national convention. Wherever Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has pitched his tent that day, that is where we will be, this I can assure you.
Why are rooting for continuity? The APC is a big party that was formed by people of high integrity. Along the line, we may have made We are not perfect, so we are calling on our supporters and members to bear with the present executives. I want to campaign for the present executives, the state working committee to be supported and allowed to continue.
As you know continuity is very important. It is important to stress the fact that because the present party executives have won elections from Presidency to states, local government councils, it is not a mean task and it will be of great advantage if they are allowed to continue. It is not an easy To win election in the opposition, we know what it takes.
So to face the electorate with inexperienced executives will do lots of harm to the party. I am saying that if you really love the party, support continuity because they have the needed experience to deliver at the big stage task to supervise and win such elections at all levels as we did in the past general elections. As a party chairman I would like the party executives to come back because it will be much easier for them to work with the people and consolidate the gains and achievements recorded so far.
For instance, we have about 48,000 polling units executives in Niger state and if do not allow these kind of executives to come back, you are not likely to have the kind of results we had in 2015, that is why we are canvassing for continuity. It is not a matter of personal interest but we have to look at it objectively. Now we have over 50,000 executives in Niger state and if you remove these officials and replace them when party primaries are around the corner, it will not be wise.
Also, the 2019 general elections is just few months away and we need experienced hands to have a good outing. So we are asking members to eschew bitterness to allow present executives to scale through. I am calling on supporters and stakeholders to allow the present executive to continue in office so that by 2022 they can handover to new leaders when congresses would be held.
By that time these crop of executives will not be eligible to contest in that congress or convention. Unfortunately some politicians are not assessing us based on our performances but based on the fact that they just want to contest.
Is the same concept of continuity extended to Governor Bello for 2019? Governor Abubakar Sani Bello is doing very well. We cannot go against the governor who has performed beyond expectations. If you bring another person that person will likely start from point zero. And when he starts from zero you have another four years wasted. The question is why do you have to waste four years just because of individual interest? This is the reason why we quickly endorsed the governor so that it relieves us of all the tension of whether he has supporters or not. It is the same principle that we are applying: somebody that perform well should be allowed to continue.
To win election in the opposition, we know what it takes. So to face the electorate with inexperienced executives will do lots of harm to the party. I am saying that if you really love the party, support continuity because they have the needed experience to deliver at the big stage.
