By Correspondent in Minna.
Former Niger State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Isah Ladan Kantigi, has emerged PDP flag bearer for next year’s governorship poll.
Our Correspondent reports that Kantigi polled 667 votes, to beat Sani Kutigi who came distance second with 114 votes, Alhaji Isa Jankara came third with 21 votes while former Minister of Sports Ahmed Gimba got 3 votes, leaving the other opponent, Sidi Abdul with no vote while three votes were voided.
Meanwhile, four delegates were said to have been attacked and killed by bandits during the exercise.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa state, Chief Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who disclosed this in Minna, described the incident as ‘very tragic’.
Delegates were said to have lost their lives while returning from Minna to Mariga, after the postponed party primaries because of protest by four aspirants who lost out to Liman Kantigi.
He said the delegates were asked to bring their means of identification for the purpose of authentication expected to tarry with their names as indicated on the original list of names of delegates.
The chairman of the Electoral Committee further disclosed that who lost their lives during the attack, were substituted to complete the number of delegates from Mariga Local Government Area.
Confirming Ewhrudjakpo’s disclosure, one of the delegates from Mariga, Malam Shehu Haruna, expressed gratitude to God for narrowly escaping the attack
He told journalists that the incident occurred as they were travelling along Mariga-Tegina road, adding that four delegates lost their lives.
Haruna said:” “We left Minna late after the Governorship primaries on Thursday, after they told us that we should go and bring our voter’s card or any other means of identification and that was when they attacked us”.
“We were on our way back to Mariga to get our means of identification and on the road, we ran into the armed bandits who opened fire on the vehicle we were travelling on. Some of us were able to escape since the driver was not hit, but, four people died instantly.”
Haruna stressed the need to ensure the establishment of security outpost in the area, to stem further attacks.
Our Correspondent reports that Mariga Local Government shares border with Birnin-Gwari, a notorious spot for armed bandits in Kaduna state terrorising innocent citizens regularly.
However the governorship primaries for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state was still in progress as at the time of this report.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
