By Chesa Chesa
Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has commended the transparency and inclusiveness of the nomination process of the All Progressives Congress after submitting his governorship nomination form in Abuja.
Bago, who completed the exercise at the Treasure Suites and Conference Centre, described the process as a reflection of democratic principles at work within the party.
“So far, so good. Democracy is in action. We want to thank the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for allowing the party to follow due process”, he said.
He noted that the process applies equally to all aspirants, regardless of political status, stressing that governors, lawmakers, and other contestants must undergo the same procedure of submission, verification, and screening.
“It does not isolate any governor, senator, or member of the House of Representatives or state assembly. Everybody must come here and complete the process. This is very important,” he added.
The governor also expressed gratitude to farmers in Niger State who pooled resources to purchase his nomination form, describing the gesture as both humbling and motivating.
“It’s exciting and humbling. These are people who live from hand to mouth, yet they contributed—some N1,000, some N2,000—and raised over N50 million to buy the form for me,” Bago said.
According to him, the farmers went even further, mobilising over N150 million in total contributions, a development he attributed to the impact of government policies on their livelihoods. “That has motivated me greatly,” he said.
Bago also referenced recent agricultural interventions in the state, including the flag-off of the 2026 farming season and distribution of mechanisation inputs in Minna, led by the First Lady.
On the mode of primaries in Niger State, the governor said efforts were ongoing to build consensus among stakeholders but noted that direct primaries would be adopted if consensus fails.
“We are trying to build consensus across the state, but where that is not possible, we will go for direct primaries,” he stated.
