THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State has released the names of its candidates for the upcoming local government chairmanship and councillorship election, scheduled for November 2, 2024, across the state’s 13 Local Government Areas.
The chairman of the APC primary election committee, Tanimu Adamson, announced this on Friday while submitting the report of the recent screening exercise to party executives in Lafia, the state capital.
Adamson noted that the candidates emerged through consensus, as agreed by the party in accordance with Article 20 of its constitution.
“The APC in Nasarawa State is a law-abiding party, thus after the recent expiration of the local government councils chairmen tenure, the party called for a general stakeholders meeting to deliberate on the way forward to conduct a peaceful, credible and transparent primary election.
“We deliberated and agreed unanimously that it should be by consensus according to article 20 of the party’s constitution.
“We have therefore outlined credible candidates for the 13 local government areas that would run for the championship positions and councillors who will constitute the legislative arm and improve the image of legislation at the local government level so that there would be true democracy and provision of dividends of democracy”, he said.
Adamson announced the names of the candidates, including Safiyanu Isa (Akwanga LGA), Umar Dan-Akano (Awe LGA), Jonathan Addra (Doma LGA), Abubakar Madaki (Karu LGA), Adamu Aboki (Keana LGA), and Idris Damagani (Keffi LGA).
Other are Bitrus Agbawu (Kokona LGA), Mohammed Haliru (Lafia LGA), Mohammed Ahmed (Nasarawa LGA), Iliya Aliyu (Nasarawa-Eggon LGA), Isa Sani (Obi LGA), Murtala Danmadami (Toto LGA), and Ezekiel Jaga (Wamba LGA).
The committee chairman announced that the candidates had undergone screening and were certified by the party as meeting the requirements according to its constitution.
Adamson added that the committee ensured inclusivity, with females and people living with disabilities among those who emerged as consensus candidates for councillorship positions across the state’s 147 electoral wards.
Receiving the report, the APC chairman in the state, Aliyu Bello, commended the committee members for their dedication in ensuring the party’s growth and fulfilling their mandate within the set timeline.
Bello also announced that the party would promptly submit its list of successful candidates to the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission, to the commission’s deadline.
Additionally, he reaffirmed his trust in the electoral body to conduct free, fair, and credible local government elections, while encouraging other political parties in the state to participate to participate in the poll.
The ICIR reported that following the July 2024 Supreme Court ruling affirming the autonomy of local government administration, many Nigerian states such as Kwara, Rivers, Ebonyi and Kebbi among others have been conducting local government elections, with some gearing up for the exercise.
The ruling, which restored financial and administrative independence to the nation’s 774 local government areas (LGAs), has compelled state governments to hold elections, marking a departure from the previously pervasive practice of appointing caretaker committees who were mainly the governors’ stooges and tools for squirrelling public funds.
Although The ICIR reports that this practice has been widely criticised for undermining local governance and stalling community development, many Nigerian state governors used the LGAs as tools for political patronage, which negated democratic ideals.
For years, LGAs, which are constitutionally the third tier of government, have been deprived of their autonomy, with state governors often hand-picking local government chairmen and councillors.
This has reportedly led to the stifling of development at the grassroots level, as most of the funding intended for LGAs was controlled and sometimes misappropriated by state executives.
Until the Supreme Court ruling, many LGAs had been headed by caretaker committees in most states across the country.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.