By-Election : APGA Nominates Chris Giwa As Senatorial Candidate

The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has nominated Mr Chris Giwa as its candidate for the Plateau North Senatorial by-election scheduled for Oct. 6, a party official has said.

Dr Isa Jega, the Plateau APGA Chairman, disclosed this in Jos on Saturday, saying Giwa was nominated in view of his antecedents.

?''Our elders have disappointed us, but God is going to use the youths to salvage the situation, '' he said.

Jega said APGA “as the only progressive party in the country, where everything is working right’’, believes that Giwa could help to make Plateau a better state.

''Things are working well in Anambra and Imo where the party is in power and I do believe that Giwa will do same in Plateau North as a peace ambassador and philanthropist.

''It is because of his antecedents that we did not waste time to accept him in the APGA family, '' he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the by-election is to fill the vacancy created by the death of Sen. Gyang Dantong who died on July 8.

He had died during a stampede at a burial ceremony in his constituency.

Giwa was until very recently contesting on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Speaking on the development however, Giwa said his decision to join APGA was not out of ''desperation but to keep his vision for Plateau North alive.

''Until now I was a member of the ACN and I helped to build the party in Plateau, having flown the party’s flag in the 2011 gubernatorial election.

''To my surprise, the party selected a candidate amongst three of us contesting without holding any primaries.

''I refuse to allow the vision I have for the people to be killed by some people who do not understand what is happening in the state.

''I thought the party should look for members and should allow democracy to take place,’’ he said.

The former gubernatorial candidate admitted that he did not know the slogan of APGA as a party until Friday when he entered the party office.

He said he however immediately believed he was in the right place.

''When I saw the party’s slogan, which is `be your brother’s keeper’, I told myself that I was in the right place based on my belief. My desire has always been to be my brother’s keeper.

''My being in APGA is not a mistake, but a step ordered by God. I assure you that in less than six months APGA will be a household name in Plateau,’’ Giwa stated.

The senatorial candidate explained that his desire to be in the Senate was to serve the people and to restore peace in Plateau.

He said, if elected, he would work for the unity of the people of the senatorial district, irrespective of their religious or ethnic differences.

''I will not be a Senator of the Beroms but a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the people of the entire Plateau and the whole people of the district.

''I will attract development to all parts of the state when I have the platform to do so, '' Giwa said.

NAN reports that Mr Job Alamba, former Chairman of Barkin-Ladi Local Government in the state, was also nominated as the party’s candidate for the Barkin-Ladi state constituency by-election