Protest has greeted the decision of the Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, to nominate his 2019 campaign director, Alhaji Suleiman Yusuf, as commissioner representing Agaie Local Government Area of the state.

The protesters in their large number stormed the Government House in Minna at the weekend to register their grievances, demanding that the nominee should be dropped.

Yusuf Suleiman was among the 16 commissioners nominees whose names were forwarded to the state House of Assembly for screening last week by the governor.

However, barely three days after the submission of the list, the people of Agaie local government at the weekend, stormed Government House, Minna rejecting the governor’s nomination of Suleiman Yusuf in totality.

The protesters in their numbers insisted that they had better candidates in Agaie to represent them at the state cabinet who they claimed were more competent, reliable, acceptable and knowledgeable who could carry everybody along.

They described the present nominee as a “Minna-based politician” and man who never cares about his people or domain and unacceptable by 80 per cent of the local council population.

The gate of the Government House was, however, barricaded by security agents against the protesters who intended to go in to complain officially to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello urging him immediately make a reversal of the appointee.

All attempt to get the comment of the embattled commissioner nominee failed as his phone was switched off when our correspondent tried to reach him about the time of filing this report.

However, an APC stakeholder in Agaie, Hon. Aliyu Abdulmalik said that major stakeholders in the area were in full support of the nominee because of his transparency and openness

He told journalists in Minna at the weekend that most of the protesters were strangers who did not know their mission to Minna, insisting that the protest was stage managed

According to him, “we the people of Agaie are well pleased with the nomination of Suleiman Yusuf. He deserved the appointment.”

It was alleged that two of the protesters’ vehicles were arrested and detained at police command headquarters in Minna for carrying local weapons. (Sunday Sun)

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