Kebbi Gov Ticket: NLC Deputy President Defeats Senate Leader

By James Orji

Dr Nasir Idris, of the National Union of Teachers, NUT, has created one of the biggest upsets in the ongoing Governorship Primary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. He defeated the Senate Majority Leader, Dr Yahaya Abdullahi, to clinch the party’s governorship ticket in Kebbi State. Idris is also the current Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC.

According to the New Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the Teachers’ Leader emerged the party’s governorship candidate after polling 1,055 votes out of the 1,090 votes casted, during the APC governorship primary that took place on Thursday.

The Senate Leader put up a very poor showing as none of the delegates cast his vote for him at the delegate election monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The figures provided by INEC’s Returning Officer and Chairman, APC National Monitoring Committee, Alhaji Idris Yahuza showed that another gubernatorial aspirant polled 35 votes.

Idris was NUT Chairman from Local Government to State levels, and currently its National President. He is also Deputy National Chairman of the NLC.

Notable Kebbi APC chieftains who witnessed the election were the State’s Gov. Atiku Bagudu, Sen. Adamu Aleiro, Sen. Bala Ibn-Na’Allah, Sen. Muhammadu Magoro, Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi, the Senate Leader; and Deputy Governor, Alhaji Samaila Yombe-Dabai.

Others included the Minister of Justice and Attorney- General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN; members of the House of Representatives and members of the state’s House of Assembly.

Recall that Malami was one of the top governorship aspirants in the State before he dropped out of the race after President Muhammadu Buhari directed all ambitious political appointees in his government to resign their appointments.

To show his seriousness to rule the state, the AGF had shared state of the art cars to APC leaders in the state, promising to share ‘aircrafts’ in response to the trenchant criticisms that greeted his decision to induce party chieftains .

The President, had directed political appointees with 2023 ambitions to resign from their positions latest by May 16.

The nation’s Chief Law Officer who had earlier obtained the APC Governorship form for N50 million  cited patriotism and contentment as reasons for shelving his ambition to rule Kebbi state.

“As individual Nigerian citizens with inalienable fundamental rights, we are not aware of any legally justifiable and reasonable tenable obligations compelling the person of Abubakar Malami or as an AGF to do otherwise.

“The decision not shelve the governorship ambition is not only a demonstration of altruism and patriotism but of contentment, self-control, placidity and decisiveness in problem-solving at a time shrouded with confusing and competing stimulus. It is a commendable posture worthy of admiration coming from a paragon of virtue,” Dr Umar Gwandu, his spokesman said in a statement.