29th December, 2013
Governor Ibrahim Shema of the northern Nigerian state of Katsina on Sunday admitted that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party is facing challenges.
“We all know that PDP is facing some challenges and anyone trying to say otherwise is deceiving himself.
“But we have been able to identify those challenges. By identifying the problem itself, it means half of the challenges facing us as a party have been solved,’’ the governor said.
On the defection from the party to APC by some members, Shema said “most of such people are not original PDP members. Now, they have joined the group they belong to’’.
Governor Shema spoke today by proxy at the state Zonal meeting of the party, where he also announced that the council polls in the state will be held in the first quarter of 2014.
He said the elections date would be announced in January for the political parties to begin preparations
The governor, who was represented by Sen. Umar Tsauri, said all the materials needed for the exercise were on ground.
The 34 local governments in the state are being managed by caretaker committees, since the expiration of the tenure of elected council officials early in 2011.
“The elections will take place next year, God willing, because everything has been put in place,’’ Shema said.
The governor called on PDP supporters to come out en masse during the elections to vote for the party’s candidates.