How Niger ANPP escaped SIEC hammer

Dipo Laleye, Minna - 26.03.2008

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) would have been barred from fielding candidates for Saturday’s local government election in Niger State but for the intervention of the National Secretariat of the party.

The state chapter of the party had broken into two camps soon after the April 14, 2007 general elections partly as a result of the conviction by some members for the party to join the unity government put together by Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu.

The development led to the suspension of the state chairman, Alhaji Huassaini Garba, who later led a faction of the party while Alhaji Mohammed Takuma heads another group.

The state Independent Electoral Commission, in the guidelines for the local government poll, said no party would be allowed to present two lists of candidates for the election as such lists would be rejected and the party barred from taking part in the election.

To stop the hammer from falling on the party, the National Secretariat was reported to have moved in and set up a committee which harmonised the lists presented to the SIEC by the two factions.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that though the ANPP succeeded in escaping the hammer, it was unable to benefit from the election grant reportedly released to all the parties taking part in the election.

It was gathered that the state government released over N3.6 million to 12 political parties to be shared at N300,000 each, but the PDP was said not to be considered for the grant because “it is the party in government.”

The chairman of the state Independent Electoral Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Bosso, confirmed the development, saying the commission worked on the harmonised list presented by the national secretariat of the ANPP.

Alhaji Bosso also confirmed the release of election grant to 12 political parties excluding the PDP and the ANPP.

The chairman said all results of the election for the councillorship would be announced at the ward level while that for the chairmanship would be at the local government secretariat.