Primaries: Bandits kill 4 PDP delegates in Niger

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have reportedly killed no fewer than four delegates for the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger State.

The delegates were said to have been shot dead in the Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State on Wednesday.

One of the PDP delegates, Shehu Haruna, made the disclosure in Minna, the state capital on Thursday.

Haruna revealed that the other delegates were killed while returning to Mariga after the party postponed the primaries due to a protest by some of the aspirants who expressed distrust with the delegates’ list.

He added that the party, following the protest, asked the delegates to bring their means of identification to authenticate their names for the primaries which was shifted to Thursday.

He said: “We left Minna in the late hours when PDP postponed the governorship primaries to Thursday.

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“We were retuning home to get our means of identification and on the road we ran into bandits who opened fire on our vehicle.

“Though we were able to escape since the driver was not hit, but, four people died instantly,” Haruna revealed.

The incident was equally announced by the chairman of the electoral committee and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, while speaking at the PDP Secretariat, venue of the primaries in Minna, on Thursday.

The Star