The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi says it is strategizing to reclaim its victory in the Yauri/Shanga/Ngaski federal constituency come Saturday, 3 February 2024.
Isa Assalafi, APC Spokesman in the state disclosed this shortly after a stakeholders meeting held at the Presidential Lodge, Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.
It could be recalled that the House of Representatives seat became vacant following the appointment of the member representing the area, Dr. Yusuf Tanko-Sununu as Minister of State, Education by President Bola Tunibu which made the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conduct a bye-election in that constituency.
There will be a re-run election in 15 polling units in Dandi and 10 polling units in Arewa Local Government Areas of the state on the same day to fulfill the court injunction on the State Assembly seat of the area.
Assalafi said the meeting, which drew critical stakeholders in the affected areas including the State Governor and State APC Chairman deliberated on different issues and addressed grey areas that may hinder the success of the party in the forthcoming bye and re-run elections.
“APC is now battle-ready to reclaim its victory in those areas. The seats are ours and we are going to reclaim them, especially going by what our amiable Governor is doing to the state, we are certain that victory will be on our side by the grace of Almighty Allah.
“Dr Tanko Sununu won the election under APC before he was appointed Minister and we believe we will win the seat in Dandi/Arewa State Assembly, our candidate, Garba Rabi’u Kamba won the election and history will repeat itself in all the 25 polling units declared for re-run,” he assured.
Also in an interview, Hon. Bala Gagga, Council Chairman, Yauri Local Government Area assured the readiness of his people to vote APC again in the coming bye-election, insisting that the area remained a stronghold of the party and would continue to be so.
While appealing to his people to come out en mass to vote APC, the chairman said in the political history of the area, they had never presented a rotten candidate who would not perform.
Hon. Abdus-Salam Jibril, Chairman. Dandi Local Government Area said Kebbi remained a strictly home of APC right from the last general election which was inconclusive and beyond, assuring that all the 25 polling units were APC domain.
“We have already won those polling units before, so coming back to do the election again is going to be a walkover going by the gigantic projects embarked upon by His Excellency, Executive Governor of Kebbi across the state not only in our area, the election will be a walk-over, nothing else,” he assured.
On voter apathy, Jibril said the council had already embarked on sensitization of the electorate on the need to come out en mass to exercise their franchise for the good of generality.
On his part, the Chairman, of Arewa Local Government Area, Hon. Sani Aliyu-Tela recalled that ever since the court judgement, “we started mobilizing people on ways to increase on the number of votes already gotten so that APC will remain on top.”
Aliyu-Tela expressed optimism that people would turn out massively to vote for their party because the government had fulfilled more than 90 percent of the campaign promises made to them in the area.
Also, the Commissioner for Health, Hon. Yunusa Musa-Isma’il said as grassroots politicians they have the people and the present administration has done a lot in terms of people-oriented projects not only in Yauri Emirate but also across the state.
He said even though the PDP candidate came from Ngaski Local Government, yet, the people of the area were ready to elect APC following the visible projects executed by the governor across the state.
