Re: 7 APC governors who may lose re-election in 2019

In his recent analysis by an online publication ‘Daily Nigerian’ mentioned some APC governors in some northern states that may likely lose the 2019 re-election bid. The writer vividly attributed his assertion to intractable internal differences, disloyalty and simmering disagreement in the party in the seven states.

The good thing about it all is the write-up is no more than the opinion of an individual, and his motive could well be questionable. In a similar manner, someone could choose to pick out those same states, namely Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Katsina, Benue, Jigawa and Bauchi and say they stand the best chance of winning the 2019 election and justify it. It all boils down to power of argument and personal opinion. Interestingly, all the states mentioned are being governed under the APC political family.

However, it might be an energy and time burn up scenery to respond to the issues raised but it has become compelling and de rigueur to clear some points attributed to the present Government Bauchi State because all the allegations and allusions directed at the administration of Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar failed in all elementary indices of objectivity, substance, factual presentation and political accuracy, lending credence to the suspicion that the testimonies was a crude hatchet job meant to satisfy the whims and caprices of certain shadowy crips and foes of the government in power.

Based on the writer’s opinion and the responses of the people he interviewed, it was alleged that, the governor isn’t level-headed, has a loggerhead with the national assembly members, his appointees fomenting problems for him, the Yusuf Tugga factor, salaries verification, pension, arrears, and odds and ends matters. It is only a mischievous observer or unreconstructed pundit can accused the governor of being not level-headed non-performance and failure to deliver crucial democratic dividend to the people as the record are there for the whole world to see as evidence and proof of his sterling achievements in the developmental and infrastructural arena are abundant and visible throughout the length and breadth of the ‘Pearl of Tourism’ state.

Interestingly, it was reported that the governor doesn’t have any problem but his appointees and if that was taken as a threat to his reemergence in 2019, the governor’s cabinets have been recently dissolved including special advisers. While the issue of verification which was evidently and deliberately over flogged has since been settled with the payment of the outstanding one month salaries being owed by the state government workers and the two months owed by the local government staffs of the state. Howbeit, it was done in a very good faith and for the benefit of not only the civil servants whose salaries were previously delayed and accumulated as backlogged during the erstwhile regime of Gov. Isa Yuguda but  to the entire people of the state whose funds have been siphoned through the orchestrated ghost workers and padded vouchers.

It requires a bold mind and committed leader to get Bauchi State out of the woods. And it will interest all to know that, Bauchi under the leadership of M.A Abubakar has settled the backlogged of salaries he inherited from the previous administration while some states including the oil rich are battling with salaries nest eggs even after receiving huge sum from the bailout and excess crude savings.

On the widely reported cold to full-fledged war between the governor and Hon. Dogara, Governor Abubakar has said it on several occasions that he wasn’t in government to fight but to deliver the dividends of democracy to the good people of Bauchi State and anything short of that, he should be counted out. Therefore, the political jobbers and political apple-polishers who seem to be igniting the flame of discord to gain out of it should seek for another avenue as those who gave both the governor and speaker their respecting mandates are expecting a return in their political investment than any political cacophony and as far as he’s concern, he has done much to the people of Bauchi State to justify his re-election.

At the same time Governor Abubakar is reversing the long years of neglect of the critical sector of infrastructural development cum roads construction by initiating tens of thousands of kilometres of macadamized roads of the best quality to link the urban townships with the rural areas as this is crucial to the movement of goods, services and persons that will go a long way in spurring fast track economic development while acting as a catalyst for rapid industrialization and commercialization of population centres within and outside the state, others are busy playing newspaper politics that’s far from the reality.

However, rather than engaging in endless blame game scenarios that would do nobody any good, resilient Governor Abubakar, took the decisive steps of entrenching good governance through his policies and programmes which are geared towards economic revivals of the state. Therefore, nothing can change the facts on the ground not even the disgruntled, mischievous and patently biased ranting pundits.

Lukman is Special Assistant (Communication) to the Bauchi State Governor.

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