Date: 2020-02-14

Ahmed Adam Rufai has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s candidate for the March 14 House of Assemblu rerun ballot in Patigi local government area of Kwara State.

Rufai was affirmed as the APC candidate by 4587 party chieftains and members at an affirmation exercise conducted on Friday by a six-person committee from the national headquarters of the ruling party in Abuja.

His nomination/affirmation, which involved party members from across the 10 wards in the local government, was announced by the committee led by AbdulAzeez Anuhi.

Anuhi commended the party leaders, elders, members and the security agencies as well as INEC officials for the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

He appealed to the people of Patigi to turn out en masse to vote for APC during the March 14 bye-election.

The rerun ballot is coming a few months after the death of Hon. Ahmed Rufai who represented the Patigi Constituency at the House of Assembly.

AbdulAzeez commended the party leaders, elders, members and the security agencies as well as INEC officials for the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

Commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs Aisha Ahman Patigi said the APC administration has been doing a lot to turn around the fortune of the state and assured the people of the area that the upcoming Social Investment Programme of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was designed to combat unemployment and extreme poverty.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters Saadu Salahu also highlighted the laudable achievements of the Governor which included Patigi township road, Patigi water works, school rehabilitation projects, Kpada and Gada road works, and the collaborative efforts with neighbouring states that culminated in the award of contract of Pata Etsugi bridge connecting Kwara and Niger States.

Vice Chairman of APC in Kwara North Sunday Oyebiyi commended the party leaders and members for their discipline and massive turn out in the last elections.

Other members of the six-man national electoral committee were Ohalete Wisdom Chinedu (Secretary); Yahaya Dahiru; Habu Kalba Usman; Bashir Adamu Othman; and Shettima Muhammad.

The exercise was witnessed by officials of APC in the State including Deputy Chairman Abdullahi Samari; the State Secretary Muhammad Mustapha Salman; ViceChairman (Kwara North) Sunday Oyebiyi; and the State Organising Secretary Samuel Isa.

The 6-man national electoral committee had earlier disqualified the second aspirant Dr Mahmud Kpotun in the primaries for a number of irregularities in his nomination process at the end of the screening exercise.