The African Democratic Congress Governorship aspirant for the 2027 election in Niger State Idrisu Makanta has said that he was not aware of any petition written by his party against him.
Makamta was reacting to an alleged petition written against him by his party calling for his disqualification over an allegation of fraud in which he is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commossion EFCC.
Mallam Idrisu Makanta made this known during a media interview where he disclosed that governors who were battling corruption allegations with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were still deeply involved in contesting for the various political offices that catch their fancy, thus further querying his disqualification from vying for the state’s plum job.
The Shinkafan Nupe, as he is widely known in Niger State, while confirming a N3 billion rice fraud allegation for which he was detained by the EFCC and currently undergoing prosecution in the courts, disclosed that he was not aware the ADC recently wrote a petition against him over the fraud allegation and it led to his disqualification.
Earlier, while speaking to Arewa in an interview, the party had said it would not field any candidate whose reputation would mar its chances of winning the election.
However, Markanta denied the allegation, saying he was not aware of any petition against him.
“I’m not aware of any petition, and you know anybody who acts on rumour is an illiterate person.
“The courts will decide that. The only thing I see is the hand of God. There are two courts, there is a court of God, there is a court of man. This case is in the court of God and human beings, and they will all decide what they will do
“Did I say it has been squashed? So many people are in court. Governors are in court with the EFCC, and they are still governors,” he said.
The ex-director in the Federal Capital Development Authority in Abuja stressed that it was his people that nudged him on to contest the governorship, and he has resolved to hearken to their calls to serve them.
The governorship aspirant also disclosed that he did not know who bought the party’s nomination form for him, stressing, “I did not plan to vie for the governorship seat on my own will. I have been asked to go for the governorship based on verifiable efforts of all that I’ve done for the upliftment of my community.
“This is not the first time. Rather, this is the second time that I have been persuaded by my people to vie for the governorship seat.
“I must say it, and God is my witness up to this moment, I must tell you I dont know who even bought the form for me,” he said.
Makanta, who also spoke about what he called the frightening level of insecurity in the land, observed that wherever there is insecurity, there is usually poverty.
“Insecurity has become a national menace not only in Niger State but across the country. Everybody has his own approach to insecurity, but wherever there is poverty in our society, it gives birth to insecurity naturally. Once there is unequal distribution of wealth and resources, you are giving birth to insecurity,” he insisted.