A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lt. General Jeremiah Useni (retd), has clinched the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2019 governorship election in Plateau State.
With this development, Useni, currently, a senator representing Plateau South in the National Assembly, would have to slug it out with incumbent Governor Simon Lalong, who had been endorsed and given automatic ticket by the All Progressives Congress.
The battle between the PDP and the APC for the Plateau State Governor seat has been shifted to the Southern Senatorial Zone, where both Lalong and Useni come from.
Useni, in a keenly contested primary with 13 aspirants held at the Treasures Inn Resort, Rayfield in Jos, polled 1,018 votes to defeat a member of the House of Representatives, Johnbull Shekarau, with 340 votes.
In Adamawa State, a former acting Governor of the state, Umar Fintiri, emerged the governorship candidate of the PDP for next year general elections.
Fintiri clinched the PDP ticket after polling 1,656 votes in the party’s primary conducted by the Adamu Shuaibu-led four-man panel.
Fintiri edged out a former Chief Protocol Officer to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Jameel Zubairu, who polled 465.
Others who contested the ticket with Fintiri were Bala Ngillari, who got 76 votes; a lawyer, Aliyu Ahmad, who got eight votes, and Umar Ardo, who got only one vote.
Fintiri, in his acceptance speech, pledged to make education, health and the welfare of the people of the state his priority if elected governor next year.
Meanwhile, due to disagreement over the choice of venue, the APC in Adamawa State could not hold its primary, which was scheduled for Monday.
Despite the insistence of Governor Mohammed Jibrilla, who favoured the use of the Ribadu Square, that the primary should go on as scheduled, the duo of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Dr Mahmood Halilu – Aisha Buhari’s younger brother – announced their boycott of the primary.
Following an outcry by stakeholders within the Adamawa APC, including Babachir Lawal, the National Working Committee of the APC, in a statement on Monday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, announced the rescheduling of the election in Adamawa, Enugu and Lagos State.
The APC NWC also changed the mode of primaries for Adamawa State from indirect to direct.
The postponement left many party delegates who were already gathered at the Ribadu Square for the primaries infuriated because many of them had been camping in the state capital and were reportedly expecting N100, 000 payment each from the state governor, Bindow.
Addressing the agitated delegates at the Ribadu Square, Bindow urged them to remain calm and accept the development as an act of God.
“I want to apologise to you over the postponement of the primary and thank you for your patience and cooperation. I remain a loyal party man and urge every party member in the state to be calm and loyal and see what has happened as an act of God,” he said.
In Kaduna State, a former member of the House of Representatives, Isa Ashiru, on Monday, won the PDP governorship ticket.
In a keenly contested primary, Ashiru polled 1,330 votes out of a total of 2,654 delegates to emerge the winner at the primary held at the Kaduna International Trade Fair Complex along the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway.
He defeated the lawmaker representing Kaduna North Senatorial District in the Senate, Suleiman Hunkuyi, who polled 564 votes; and a former Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, who got 560 votes.
Ashiru, in his acceptance speech, thanked the delegates for voting for him, promising not to betray their confidence.
Ashiru will in 2019 be contesting the Kaduna State governorship seat against incumbent Governor Nasir el-Rufai, who had emerged the candidate of the APC through affirmation.
In Benue State, incumbent Governor Samuel Ortom clinched the PDP ticket for his second term bid.
Ortom polled 2,210 votes to edge out John Tondo, who scored 475; Felix Atume with 44 votes and Dr Paul Orhi, who scored 10 votes, in the Benue PDP primary held at Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi.
In a related development, the Managing Director, Dangote Sugar Company, Mr Abdullahi Audu-Sule, on Monday, was declared the winner of the APC governorship primary in Nasarawa State.
Audu-Sule was declared the winner with 926 votes.
Audu-Sule, who is the anointed candidate of the outgoing Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, contested the primary with 10 others, including the incumbent Deputy Governor, Mr Ali Agara.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Akwanga/Nassarawa-Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituency, Mr David Umbugadu, has emerged as the PDP governorship candidate in Nasarawa State.
In the party’s primary on Monday, Umbugadu polled 745 votes to defeat his closest rival, Solomon Ewuga, who got 551 votes.
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