The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State as well as its gubernatorial candidate, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir have been warned to forthwith stop the smear campaign and calumny against the person of the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Amb Saddique Baba Abubakar.
The APC however predicted that the tactics the ruling PDP is using to campaign that the APC gubernatorial candidate is not an indigene of the state will aid the APC in winning the sympathy of the electorate.
The warning was made by the Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the APC and spokesperson of the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Comrade Sabo Mohammed, describing the tactic as “desperate, archaic and counter-productive in a democracy.”
Sabo Mohammed who addressed journalists in Bauchi lamented that rather than talking about issues, “the PDP has engaged in non-issues based campaigns” saying that such tactics deployed by the government of the day in the past against former Governors Isa Yuguda and Mohammed Abdullahi ended up achieving opposite results to the then administrations.
According to him, “The ruling PDP in the state are wasting their time talking about Air Marshal Abubakar indigenes hip.”
He reminded them that, “It happened to Isa Yuguda who was even expelled from a political party on the basis that he didn’t hold the indigeneship and it only landed him into the Government House. It happened to Mohammed Abdullahi and the price was it landed him victory”
Sabo Mohammed maintained that the APC gubernatorial candidate is a Nigerian “who has contributed undoubtedly, unequivocally immensely in the development of his fatherland Nigeria by serving at the peak of Nigeria Air force as Chief of Air Staff.”
He also said that President Muhammadu Buhari in several fora had commended Abubakar’s efforts and showed him encomiums for his nationalist contribution towards the improvement of the security of the country.
“He is a Nigerian first before becoming the indigene of Bauchi. Nobody, based on the Constitution in any way is in doubt of his indigeneship,” the APC spokesperson stated.
He stressed that “To make it clear, Air Marshal Sadiiqque Abubakar was born in Azare and grew up in Bauchi, schooled at Saint Paul’s primary school, Bauchi and Government College, Bauchi before he proceeded to University.”
“He is well known and has interacted far and wide within the nook and cranny of the state.”
According to him, “In modern politics what we are interested in is your service to humanity and none of them even the ruling party and other contestants, is in doubt about his capacity, about his integrity, about his competent and about his ability to take the state to the next level.”
“The ruling party should stop hallucinating. They are raising non-issues because history has shown that blackmailing a candidate on the basis of his origin only aids him in securing victory. It helped Yuguda and Abdullahi to secure the people’s mandate and they served the State,” he added.
Sabo Mohammed stressed that “What is paramount at this level is his pedigree. He studied Political Science and Administration before he took his sojourn into the Nigeria Air Force and served at several capacities and in various states.”
He also said that “That gave him the opportunity to interact with people at different levels and at the time he was Chief of Air Staff he was privy to interact with members of the National assembly and that improved his skills in a democratic administration.”
“He is an ardent supporter of issue-based campaign and that’s why he has never joined issues with any of the contesters in spite of the insults and blackmail against his person and candidature”, he stressed.
He described the ruling PDP as engaged in a divisive method of campaigning because of the rising popularity of the APC gubernatorial candidate and the inability of the PDP to fulfil their campaign promises made to the people.
“Why they are making this thing is because Air Marshal Saddique is accepted in all the nooks and crannies of the state,” he argued.
He added that “They are disturbed because our candidate is assuring and reassuring the Bauchi State people that if elected he will restructure the education system, create access and improve the learning condition.”
“He has passion for girl child education and he created three girl child schools when he was chief of air force. He is particular about the deplorable state of the health facilities.
“One interesting thing is that Air force has one of the best health facilities across the country so if given the opportunity he will improve on the health facilities especially min training, capacity building and providing all the necessary healthy requirements like other places like Lagos and Rivers State. He is particular in youth empowerment and promised to rejuvenate women and youths”
Comrade Sabo urged the PDP in the state to focus on why they had failed to fulfil their campaign promises saying, “That is where we are hanging and saying the people of Bauchi should give us opportunity because he will take the state to the next level.”
He also said that “He is talking about education and we all know education in the state is in crisis. Nobody will dispute the fact that the health sector is in crisis.”
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According to him, “Everybody, even the people in government, know that PDP have failed to fulfil the promises they made to the civil servants. Civil service is in serious crisis because the government has failed after several promises to redeem the pledge they made to the civil servants during campaigns.
“It’s glaring that the PDP government has abandoned youth and women. They have not incorporated them in their scheme of things and Marshal Abubakar is saying that if given an opportunity he will create several skills acquisition programmes as he did in the past.
“His CARE Foundation is providing a number of interventions in the area of health, in the area of education.”
According to him, “Recently he awarded 200 scholarships for health students at Malakiya School of Health. In May/June 2022 he awarded 419 slots for NECO and WAEC for indigenes of Bauchi State because the Bauchi State government couldn’t pay.”
Sabo Mohammed assured that “He is talking about rejuvenating the agriculture sector and that’s why he is saying he if given the opportunity he will make sure Bauchi Fertilizer Blending company will be re-confiscated back to the people and other deals especially the leasing like Zaranda Hotel, Galambi Cattle range, Wikki Hotels and others would be looked into to see if there are lacuna or loopholes and will be reversed in the best interest of the state.”
He concluded by saying, “These are issues but unfortunately, the PDP is raising non-issue and the Bauchi voters are very wise. The governor should know he dislodged a sitting Governor and so it’s going to be a replica of the 2019 general election because Air Marshal is only working assiduously to convince the voters to believe in his project of renewed hope for Bauchi.”
