APC primaries: We’re working on consensus arrangement for Niger – Gov Bago

Niger state governor Mohammed Umar Bago has said the state leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will consider a consensus arrangement to elect candidates for various positions. 

The governor, however, said where such arrangement does not work, direct primary mode of election will be adopted. 

Speaking with newsmen after returning his nomination and expression of forms to the party, Wednesday in Abuja, Bago said ordinary people from Niger state contributed about N150 million for him, out of which they used N50 million to purchase his nomination forms for him. 

He said: “On the mode of primary election, we are trying to build consensus across the state, but where consensus cannot be built, then we’ll go for direct primaries.”

Speaking on how he got the forms, Bago said: “It’s exciting. It’s elating. It’s also humbling, because people who live from hand to mouth, because of some of the policies of this government, have been able to have more resources now on their own. 

“They contributed money—some gave 1,000, some 2,000—and contributed over N50 million naira. In fact, right now I still have an additional N100 million that they gathered. 

“So actually, they got over 150 million, and they used 50 million naira to buy the form and give me. And that has also motivated me. 

“As you can see, last week, last weekend, the First Lady of this country, my mother, was in Minna to flag off the distribution of mechanisation and also inputs for the 2026 farming season.” 

Meanwhile the former Governor of Bauchi state, Muhammed Abubakar, has returned his nomination and expression of interest forms to contest for Governor again. 

The former Governor said his is contesting because nothing much has changed after almost eight years of absence from Bauchi government House. 

Abubakar was defeated by the incumbent Governor Mohammed Bala in 2019.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after he returned his forms to the party, Wednesday in Abuja, the former Governor said before he took of the reign in Bauchi state “a lot of the institutions of governance were prostrate.

“And I had begun a system of revitalizing these institutions and I knew for a fact that nothing much has changed after almost eight years of my absence from Bauchi. 

“I therefore intend to go and continue from where I stopped and revitalize these institutions and bring development, real development to Bauchi state.”

When asked on the option of primary mode he would prefer, Abubakar said: “Everybody knows me. I keep my words. And I’ve made it a point that by the time we do consensus, if the consensus falls on another aspirant, I will come out and support that aspirant.”