Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Borno South Senatorial District after clinching the party’s ticket unopposed during the APC primary held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Ndume was returned through an affirmation process at the primary election venue, a development that further strengthened his grip on the senatorial district he has represented for years in the National Assembly.
The lawmaker disclosed this in a statement personally made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday shortly after he was declared winner of the primary election.
His emergence as the party’s consensus candidate followed the withdrawal of his major challenger, Hon. Abdullahi Askira, from the race last month after what party insiders described as extensive consultations and interventions by APC stakeholders in the district.
Askira, who is currently the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, reportedly stepped down in deference to appeals by party elders and leaders seeking unity within the ruling party ahead of the general elections.
If re-elected in the forthcoming polls, Ndume would be returning to the National Assembly for a fifth term, extending a long political career that has seen him serve both in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Reacting to his emergence, the former Senate Leader thanked APC stakeholders and delegates in the district for what he described as their continued confidence in his leadership and representation.
His statement read: “I want to thank our elders in Borno South Senatorial District for their unwavering support for me. I want to reassure them that I will continue to promote their interest at all times.
“I must not fail to commend Honourable Askira who listened to persuasions and appeals of the party leaders and took the decision to drop his aspiration. Your loyalty to the party is exemplary.
“I also called on the party stakeholders to remain united, continue to work as one united political family as the country prepares for the general elections.”
The PUNCH