PDP stalwart blasts Oshiomhole over comments on Bala

Samuel Luka, Bauchi

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi state, Alhaji Mohammed Jibrin, yesterday lambasted the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole over his comments following the political impasse which greeted the election of the speaker, Bauchi state House of Assembly early last week.

Jibrin, who was a House of Representatives candidate for Alkaleri /Kirfi Federal Constituency under the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) ‎in the 2019 general elections‎ before decamping to PDP, said in a telephone interview that the alleged comments made by Oshomhole that Gov. Bala Mohammed was inviting trouble to Bauchi state was careless and inciting.

Lamenting the action of the APC national chairman in meddling in the politics of Bauchi state, asserted that the members of state House of Assembly have decided by electing Abubakar Suleiman as the 9th speaker.

Jibrin, who challenged the APC national chairman to mention the number of projects he commissioned in Bauchi state during former Governor Abubakar’s administration, maintained that the people of Bauchi state decided to vote his political son out for lack of performance.

“The current state House of Assembly doesn’t want to have a rubber stamp leadership, that is why they rejected the former speaker and opted for Suleiman Abubakar, who is also a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ningi Local Government Area of the state as the 9th speaker,” Jibrin added.

He questioned the rationale behind the outburst of the APC national chairman on the emergence of the new speaker who is also an APC member, declaring that “you see, the former governor led a delegation of 20 members of the assembly to the national headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) where Oshiomhole made comments that the incumbent governor should not invite trouble to Bauchi state.

“On this note, I want him to know that Gov. Bala is a democrat and a peace loving man. He cannot tamper with the peace of the state. Bauchi is a peaceful state and the people are also peaceful, so he should stop making such negative comments about our governor.”

The PDP stalwart advised Oshomhole to stop dragging the governor into legislative affairs of the state simply because the governor comes from a different political party other than his party, the APC.

On Oshomhole’s right to protect the interest of his party and its members, Jibrin answered that “yes, he has the right but not through inciting words or comments; he should speak in a peaceful manner as a leader.”

He reminded Oshiomhole that it was during the tenure of Kawuwa Shehu Damina as speaker that former Gov. Abubakar forwarded a bill seeking the state House of Assembly to repeal the law on‎ the recovery of looted public funds and properties by serving government officials.

“Kawuwa Shehu Damina ‎presided over plenary with 13 House members out of the 31-member House where the bill ‎passed through first, second and third ‎reading without objection from any of the members present,” he added.