APM endorses PDP’s Bala Mohammed for Governor, says things not going well in Bauchi

by  Samuel Luka, Bauchi

The Bauchi State Chapter of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has endorsed the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir for the upcoming March 9 gubernatorial and state assembly elections as its sole candidate.

The House of Representatives candidate for Kirfi/ Alkaleri federal constituency of Bauchi State, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Jibrin  ‎made the endorsement on Saturday in a Telephone conversation ‎with Daily Times.

Jibrin said he was personally supporting the PDP guber candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir Kaura because is his brother and someone he knows very well that can deliver than what is going on in Bauchi now.

The Reps candidate for Kirfi / Alkaleri said that the power of incumbent will not stop Senator Bala Mohammed from defeating governor Abubakar because things are not going well in Bauchi state under his administration.

He said when Kaura was the FCT Minister he executed numerous developmental projects such as water, roads, electricity , health care and many other social amenities in almost every nook and corner of the nation’s capital city.

According to him, the present administration under governor Abubakar has not conducted a single local government election in more than three and half years which he said has affected the people at the grass root negatively.

Honourable Jibrin who added that even care takers he has been appointing are not politicians said, “In politics you have to put politicians as care taker not contractors”.

“I can assure you, in Alkaleri Local Government, the chairman has awarded the contract of six million which the chairman is in charge of drilling a borehole, the state APC organizing secretary is in charge of Primary renovation and the deputy chairman is in charge of taking road to his village, so you can see that wrong arrangement”.‎ He lamented.

Jibrin who contested under the APM said his party will give the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Bala Mohammed thousands of votes to enable him win the governorship election.

Alhaji Jibrin had prior to last Saturday election embarked on a house to house campaign, calling on voters not to be induced by money, wrappers, souvenirs and other gratification in place of their votes.

“We are going house to house to enlighten the voters and to tell them to reject money Politics, it’s against the democratic tenets, if they insist collect the money and vote for a candidate of your choice”, the APM Reps candidate had told his supporters.

Idris who lost out in the Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections urged voters to understand the antics of some Politicians who are bent on using money to corrupt the system with a target to win election by hook or crook.‎

Jibrin urged the electorates in Bauchi and Alkaleri and Kirfi Local government areas in particular to cast ‎their votes for the PDP from governorship to state assemblies in the Saturday 09, March elections.

He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted free, fair and credible elections but the exercise was later hijacked by some selfish politicians in his constituency which made him lost in the contest.

Alhaji Idris alleged that the collation center for Alkaleri /Kirfi federal constituency was in Alkaleri but up to the time of granting this interview no official announcement has been made by the Returning Officer‎.

‎”I would have won the election if not because some people later came and hijacked the whole process. We overheard it on air that somebody has won but we don’t know with how many votes, nobody knows”. Jibrin said.

“We are yet to know how many votes were cast in Alkaleri and Kirfi and we want to know who the collation officer is and where is the collation center. None yet, but the election went on free and fair “,‎ he explained.

Alhaji Jibrin who said there was no election in Kirfi and Alkaleri Local Government areas added that the opposition did not allow the Returning Officer to announce the results at the designated centre.

He said, though, the Voters turn out was impressive, the electorates from the villages were fully mobilized but none of the results was announced like other states to tell the people the number of votes cast from each local government per political party.

The Reps candidate who threatened court action if the election anomalies are not addressed appealed to his supporters to remain law abiding and vote for the PDP Gubernatorial flag bearer in the coming Governorship and State Assembly elections.

He expressed optimism that the APM candidate to represent Kirfi local government in the state Assembly will win the election going by his track record as a young and hard working person