The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Bala Bantex, has declared his intention to contest for the state’s Southern senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2019.

Bantex made the declaration on Thursday while addressing a news conference at his office in the Government House in Kaduna, North-West Nigeria.

“I have decided to offer myself as the APC candidate for the Kaduna South Senatorial District in the forthcoming 2019 election, he said. “I will continue to serve as Deputy Governor of Kaduna State while pursuing this aspiration.”

Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s deputy explained that the decision to contest the senatorial election was to deliver quality representation to the people of the district and to attract maximum dividends of democracy which he claimed was lacking under the current representative.

He added that his decision was a difficult one owing to the uncommon goodwill and brotherly relationship he has been enjoying with the governor.

Bantex, however, said he took the step due to what his people have gone through in the area of insecurity in the last 10 years and the inability of their leaders to rise against it.

“I am convinced that it is time for our people to firmly reject the poorest senatorial representation Zone 3 has had since 1999. I regret that some of the elected representation from my zone have not matched this broad-mindedness and constructive approach, in the interest of our people in Zone 3,” he alleged.

“I have, therefore, come to the conclusion that it is worth leaving the Office of Deputy Governor to put these issues on the ballot, as well as encourage more mature and sober political discourse in the area.”

The deputy governor had served as a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the Action Congress, as well as a two-time Chairman of Kaura Local Government Area of the state.