Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has charged the newly elected leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the State to ensure that the party retains power in the State declaring that losing to the opposition would be worse than cancer.
He made this assertion in an address at a reception held in honour of the newly elected State Chairman of the PDP, Samaila Burga, by the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the State on Saturday at the Event Center Bauchi.
The Governor stated that the party must be united in order to wrestle power from the All Progressives congress at the national level despite the crisis and also retain power in Bauchi State.
“Like you all know, everyone is very important in this party and God has given us leadership in the country, since it is on your behalf that today I am the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. We have challenges, so it has become necessary for you to pray for us,” he said.
“Today, the leadership of the PDP is on us and we will ensure justice and fairness, by God’s grace. We will not be selfish or greedy in all we do but what we will do in the country and in Bauchi State will be to look for credible people that can win elections for us. We will give this (governorship) seat to who will win the election and retain power for us.
“I will not bring my younger brother or brother or my friend or my colleague because I want him to take over power from me; and you will have to help us on that so that we bring someone who will win election. God forbid that we lose the election, it will be worse than cancer. Let’s win the election and fight because of appointments is better.
“Please, let’s be more united because of uncertainties. It is God that gives power and whatever we plan or desire cannot happen except God wills it,” Mohammed added.
Similarly speaking, the PDP Chairman, Samaila Burga, express worry at a pattern in the State where previous governors could not win elections to go to the Senate nor could they install anyone to take over from them.
He said that the PDP under his leadership will set up a committee to undertake a study to find out why Bauchi people end up rejecting those who served them as governors at the end of their tenure by not electing them again into any other office.
Burga, the immediate past Principal Private Secretary to Governor Bala Mohammed said: “In 2007, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu did his best for 8 years as governor, and he couldn’t become a Senator and he couldn’t get someone to succeed him. The same thing with Mallam Ida Yuguda, he came with his own style of leadership and was governor for 8 years, he couldn’t get a successor and he couldn’t become a Senator. My brother, Barrister Mohammed Abubakar, in his own case , could not even secure a second term.
“Because of these reasons, we call on everyone that know that this is a very big issue. And we will set up a high powered committee to unravel to us the reasons why the people of Bauchi have this kind of practice which is totally different from what is happening in Yobe, Borno and other states around us.
“For them, this is working out but it isn’t working for us here in such a way that no matter what a governor does in office, at the end of his tenure, he is humiliated and it ends there.”
The PDP Chairman said that Bauchi people have been voting for Muhammadu Buhari since 2007 who was in the APC, but during the administration of Bala Mohammed, PDP won the state during the presidential election.
“But again, the surprising thing is that, we that have been voting for Buhari these years, what is on ground with all the road infrastructure that are spread across the state, can anyone show me jus 15kilometers of road that was executed here by the same man we’ve been voting for overwhelmingly?
“So, you see, this is something that is deep and needs to be unraveled with knowledge to know why what is happening in Bauchi is happening. Some have said it is envy.
“People said General Muhammadu will arrest and send to prison any corrupt person. Unfortunately, he came and after spending 8 years in office, he couldn’t arrest and prosecute anybody and instead, those who served under his administration are seen to be more corrupt than at any other time,” he stated.