The Bauchi All Progressives Congress (APC) Faithful, a pressure group, has urged the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) Governorship Candidate in the state, Sen. Halliru Jika, to return to the APC.
Mr Anas Mato, the Coordinator of the group, made the call at a news conference on Saturday in Bauchi.
Mato said stakeholders in the state took the decision to woo Jika back to his original party after due consultations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jika of NNPP 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 and incumbent Gov. Bala Mohammed polled 525,280 votes to retain his seat.
He said after careful observation of the happenings in the party and contacts with some relevant and critical stakeholders, the leadership of this organisation resolved to take decisions in the greater interest of the general public.
“To bring back Sen. Hallira Jika of the Bauchi Central Senatorial District to rejoin his party, APC, for the interest of the party.
“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,. If Jika’s return to the party would change the narrative and is for the overall interests of the party.
“We are optimistic that his decision to defect to another party after the questionable party primaries is not unconnected with his interest to bring good governance and critical development projects, we are hoping this dream will be achieved when he returns to the party,” the coordinator said.
According to him, their priority at the moment is to bring all people to the project of building “our great country under the able leadership of the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, and his Vice President-elect, Sen. Kashim Shattima, which Jika is a strong and close ally to the duo”.
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 faithfuls, we hope Sen. Jika will listen to our collective call and rejoin APC for the interests of the party, state and the country at large,” Mato declared.
NAN recalls that 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. (NAN)
