APC will reclaim Bauchi State – Guber candidate boasts

From Paul Orude Bauchi

All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial candidate for Bauchi State, Air Marshall Saddique Abubakar (rtd) has predicted victory for his party over the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s Governorship and State Assembly elections.

Abubakar made the remark in an interview with journalists in Bauchi,  saying PDP’s leadership style and’ lack of commitment on the plight of people would ensure APC reclaims the State..

The PDP won the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly election in Bauchi, clinching seven  House of Representatives out of 12 seats and two senators,  leaving one for APC.

Despite the PDP’s victory, the retired AirForce boss was optimistic of APC chances in Saturday’s election.

Abubakar believed the APC is going to win because the people of Bauchi state are  interested in the party. He said the people are fed up with the current administration. 

“The PDP government is not responsive and shows no commitment to really respond to the needs of the people,” he said.

“It is just a matter of common sense because this is a government that is not paying workers. 

“This is a government that is not paying pension and gratuities of retirees and this a government that is not doing anything to accommodate 1.4 million out-of-school children back into classrooms.

“This is a government where schools are in dilapidated state, you can go just Kobi primary school and others schools within the metropolis and see children seating on the bear floor because there are no chairs.

“For God sake how can a leader sleep on his bed when he knows there are schools in the state capital, not in a villages or local government headquarters with no furniture in the classrooms, children seating on the floor.

“I remember in the 1970s we use to go to Kobi primary school as one of the best school in Bauchi, what happened? 

“As far as I am concern the PDP government is not committed to really address the fundamental problems of the society. 

“I believe that the people of Bauchi state are aware of the lack of commitment of the current government to solve their problems and on the 11 March they will take a decision and that decision is to throw the PDP government out and bring in an APC administration”

The APC Governorship candidate promised to address the issue of workers in Bauchi if elected saying it is disturbing.

“What we have notice in the last three and half years is no commitment on the part of government to pay workers their entitlement,”he stated.

“It is unthinkable that we will have a society where people will go work after 30 days nobody will pay them anything and they still come to work, it is unbelievable that such a thing can happen and this unfortunately is what is happening in Bauchi state”

He opined that governance is about human beings and if you cannot address problems of human beings then you have no business of leading anyone because leadership is about solving problems.

“The problems we have seen in Bauchi state in the last three years are so many and none has been solved,” he said.

“One so irritated to even think about the fact that a worker will go to work and nobody pays him, the worker and the employer have a contract, it is i will work after 30 days l will be paid but the worker comes to work everyday and at end of the month nobody’s pays him or her. 

“What I am saying is that the whole issue is people have lost sight of what governance is all about because you are in charge to provide a conducive  atmosphere for people to pursue their legitimate aspirations and if you are unable to do that you have no business been a leader. 

“You’re a leader because you are supposed to provide for their health requirements but most of our health institutions have collapsed, even on that basis the leader there has no business being in leadership position”

Abubakar expressed concern that  a large number of youth population that is not being taken care of.

“There is no structure in Bauchi State to empower any youth, from the basis of the leadership he has no business being in government,” he said.

“When you go villages and rural communities it is even worst.

“I feel something like shedding tears because there is no point of convergence between the interest of leaders and the interest of those in rural communities.

“But the leaders are interested in having a Government House that is worth N6billion, and that is their interest while the interest of the rural people for portable good drinking water, so how would these two meets?

“The interest of the government is to build a house with 70 rooms but the interest of rural people is have roads to bring out their agricultural produce from the farm to the market, so you can see that there was no point of convergence at all between those in position of leadership and those that are been led. It is only recently that those aspiring for position of leadership that takes time to visit rural communities to know what is happening because they want the votes of the people and as soon as they finish voting is all over the severe relationship is till after four years.

“If the  whole money is all about developing government house, the people will have nothing to benefit and that is what we want to reengineer. We want to make people realize that government is about you because you are the people that determine who leads so don’t believe that you are there for people when it is time for election.

“If elected as the next Governor of Bauchi state, I will ensure that the state has a functional educational system that would provide equal opportunity for everyone to be educated and not based on those who have the resources to afford it. The only way to have a secured society is to eliminate hindrances that stop people from accessing education.

“If elected, the APC administration will disembark the system that failed to improve the living conditions of the people of the state over the years”