Tension is boiling over in Niger State as Christian pressure groups have launched a blistering attack on the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of using zoning and consensus to systematically wipe out Christian aspirants from the 2027 primaries.
In a press briefing held in Minna on Tuesday, the Niger State Christian Voice in Politics and Governance which is a coalition of Christian youths pressure groups in Niger accused APC leaders of deliberately shutting Christians out of senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly tickets, leaving the faith group with zero representation at the federal and state levels.
While the group praised Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago for pushing to institutionalise zoning through a gazette that would rotate power among the state’s 25 local government areas, with a proposed eight-year cap, it wasted no time in slamming what it described as the unfair and dangerous application of the same policy.
“The deliberate and systemic exclusion of Christian aspirants under the guise of consensus and zoning has left Christians with no voice in the National Assembly,” the group declared.
Even more explosive is the claim that Christian candidates who aimed for seats in the Niger State House of Assembly were under intense pressure to withdraw or risk being screened out. The group pointed accusing fingers at the APC leadership, demanding that the party clear its name amid widespread rumours that it is orchestrating the purge.
In strongly worded remarks, the Christian Voice condemned the development as a threat to peace and equitable representation.
“We call on the party leadership to review and correct the outcome of these primaries where genuine complaints and irregularities have been raised,” they demanded. “This current act of consensus and zoning has led to the exclusion of Christian aspirants.”
The group appealed directly to the Governor to urgently intervene, warning that the unfolding situation could undermine the fragile peace in the state if left unchecked. They also fired a warning shot to other political parties not to emulate the APC’s alleged exclusionary tactics.
This latest controversy comes at a time when religious balancing has remained a sensitive undercurrent in Niger State politics.
Critics argue that the APC’s approach, while dressed in the language of zoning and fairness, is nothing short of targeted marginalisation that could alienate a significant segment of the population ahead of the general elections.
