Appeal Court Affirms Agbu's Victory As Taraba PDP Guber Candidate

The Permanent Secretary in the Sokoto State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Arzika Bodinga, has expressed dismay over the recent ranking of Sokoto State as the highest rate with 91 percent multidimensional poverty level in the country.

The National Bureau of Statistics, in the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Survey carried out alongside development partners revealed that 133 million, about 63 per cent of Nigerians suffer multidimensional poverty.

According to the report, poverty levels across states vary significantly, with the incidence of multidimensional poverty ranging from a low of 27 per cent in Ondo to a high of 91 per cent in Sokoto State.

Bodinga said the state government had implemented several efforts to reverse and improve the situation through system strengthening.

He stated this in his remark at a workshop on Dissemination of 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)/ National Immunization Coverage Survey (NICS) 2021, held in Sokoto.

Faulting the figures and rankings of the survey, Bodinga asked the agency to come up with data of any person found dead on account of hunger on the streets including rural areas across the state.

The permanent secretary urged relevant authorities to crosscheck their findings, shun political infiltrations, foul play and other short changes that might subject their findings into doubts.

UNICEF Chief of Field, Sokoto Office, Mrs Maryam Sa'id, counselled government officials to consider areas that need upgrade and alignment and as well, celebrate their successes and achievements.

The Yola Division of the Court of Appeal has affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, Taraba State which said the candidate of Peoples Democracy Party, Agbu Kefas, was validly nominated.

The Federal High Court in Jalingo presided over by Justice Simon Amobeda earlier in September affirmed Kefas as the PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 election.

The primary election was contested by Buba Jodamafindi and Prof. Jerome Nyame who alleged irregularities in the exercise that produced Kefas as the candidate.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP on telephone yesterday, Agbu described the Appeal Court ruling as a victory for democracy, the people of Taraba State and the PDP.