As Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello has indicated interest to contest for Niger north senatorial district on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) his perennial political rival in People Democratic Party (PDP) Umar Mohammed Nasko has pulled out of the race.
The governor has in a letter dated 15th April, 2022, to the state chairman of the party indicated that he was answering the patriotic call for him to contest for the senate seat of the Niger North.
He said the people saw in him the capacity to deliver and be a worthy ambassador of the zone, thus he has decided to answer their call and contest in 2023.
In a rare coincidence, the governor’s opponent in both 2015 and 2019 governorship elections, Nasko, who had earlier indicated interest in the senate seat on the platform of PDP pulled out immediately the interest of the governor became public matter yesterday.
Nasko who is said to be hopeful to get the PDP ticket of the senatorial zone, announced his withdrawal from the race, barely 24 hours to the commencement of screening of aspirants for various positions in the 2023 general elections by the party.
He announced his pullout from the contest in a letter he sent to the state chairman of the party Mr Tanko Beji dated April 26, 2022 captioned “Notice of Withdrawal From Contest” and obtained by Leadership.
Nasko who was the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the 2019 election also sent copies of the letter to the zonal vice chairman of the party and the local government chapter chairman of the party in Nasko, Magama local government area.
All efforts to get Nasko on his phone was not successful, the zonal vice chairman of the party Mr Yahaya Ability however confirmed the receipt of the letter, saying that ” I spoke to him and he told me the decision is personal to him.”.