A group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State has urged the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) governorship candidate in the state, Sen. Halliru Jika, to return to the APC. Coordinator of the group, Anas Mato, made the call at a news conference on Saturday in Bauchi. He said stakeholders in the state took the decision to woo Jika back to his original party after due consultations. The NNPP candidate came third with 60,496 votes at the 2023 general elections. While APC’s retired Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar came second with 432,272 votes, incumbent Governor, Bala Mohammed of the PDP polled 525,280 votes to retain his seat.
Jika defected from APC to NNPP after losing to retired Air Marshal Saddique Abubakr at the governorship primaries and became the flag bearer of NNPP in the state. “Our decision to take these bold and important decisions at this critical moment of grief follows careful reflection of what transpired in the recent weeks in the party over the leadership crisis in the state. We consider this decision as the right move for our great party, APC, to return to its position as the most popular party in the state,” he said.
Mato noted that the internal crisis in the party, ranging from suspension and counter suspension and suspicions among party officials and members, over anti-party activities would damage the party structure. “So we are committed to ensure that people with proven integrity and political relevance are in our party. Jika’s return to the party would change the narrative and is for the overall interests of the party.
The group also considered Jika’s antecedents in the last eight years of his representation at the National Assembly. “The party needs him to give hope to our teeming party faithful. We hope Senator Jika will listen to our collective call and rejoin APC for the interests of the party, state and the country at large,” Mato declared.