Shettima, Al-Makura win senatorial tickets

THE Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has picked the All Progressives Congress ticket for Borno Central.

He won the primary conducted on Wednesday, which result was however announced on Thursday morning.

Announcing the result, the Chairman of the APC Borno Central Senatorial Electoral Committee, Ahmed Almaduzu, said Shettima scored a total of 2,735 to defeat his only rival in the race, Alhaji Wurge with five votes.

Shettima in a brief acceptance speech shortly after the declaration thanked his co-contestant and all his supporters for the confidence reposed in him.

In another development, the Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Al-Makura, has clinched the ticket of Nasarawa South Senatorial seat in the just-concluded All Progressives Congress senatorial primary held in Lafia, the state capital.

Announcing the result, the returning officer for the APC primary, Abdullahi Canfido, said Al-Makura polled 1,262 votes to beat his rival, Senator Salihu Egyebola, who got 312 votes.

According to him, a total of 1,608 delegates were accredited, while invalid votes were 20.

Speaking to The Punch immediately after the exercise, Al-Makura said the affirmation was not surprising bearing in mind that he had governed the state well since assumption of office, hence the reward by the people of the state.

He, however, said the decision of the party to endorse him would serve as tonic for him to work for the people of Nasarawa South Senatorial District if he eventually wins the election in 2019.

The governor called on his co-contestants in the primary to join hands with him and other aspirants in the state to ensure the victory of the party in the next general elections.

Similarly, in Nasarawa West Senatorial Zone, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who was issued an automatic ticket by the APC national secretariat, has been returned unopposed.

Adamu, a two-term senator, who is eyeing the seat for the third term and the first executive governor of Nasarawa State from 1999-2007, would face his son-in-law, Aliyu Tafida, who secured ticket in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, to contest for the senate seat in Nasarawa West senatorial zone.