APM Victory in Bauchi Polls Sacrosanct

By Sanusi Muhammad

Despite the laudable and pragmatic efforts of Governor Bala Muhammed in developing Bauchi State to an appreciable level, pockets of opposition parties are swimming in a world of illusion thinking any of their aspirants can form the next government in the state against that of the exiting governor. That’s a mirage and wishful thinking!

The 2023 Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections in Bauchi State showed a tectonic shift in Nigerian politics, as implied by the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Bauchi State as a PDP traditional stronghold, until now a stronghold of Allied People’s Movement (APM), surely, the electorates will not have a second thought to cast their votes for the Bauchi State new breed, at least in solidarity with Governor Bala Muhammed who maintains his firm belief in equity and justice within the political space.

The electorates as characteristic of them will surely consign APC’s candidates either to second position not minding the traded deceitful claims of political prowess by some perpetual deceivers on the political turf, or to the third position as revenge for the non-presence of federal projects in the state. The beauty of it is that majority of Bauchi State electorates, are not cheap commodities for purchase. They are enlightened and extremely cautious of whom to vote in any election. Moneybags and other claimants have no breathing space in Bauchi State.

The electorates cannot be deceived with bogus claims even by those who disguise as philanthropists building places of worship with sleaze funds and yearly sponsorship of appendages, hangers-on, pimps and prostitutes to Holy lands for pecuniary interest.

As widely predicted, the re-election of Governor Bala Muhammed in 2023 and defeat of APC presidential candidate in favor of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, and the majority victory of the PDP in the National and State Assembly elections created a bandwagon effect on credible leadership anchored on transparency, inclusiveness and probity.

For the gubernatorial election, APC was in disarray, as it remains in disarray but hoping against hope for possibility of benefitting from rigged victory from INEC as characteristic of the agency from directives from the presidency. APC wasted more of its time in 2023 attending to tea parties than deploying strategies to win elections.

The party abandoned its touted numerical strength assembled by M.A Abubakar as governor, to net some reasonable votes for run away from shame than expected INEC rigging mechanism. It relied on weaklings without political base and inconsequential parasites and charlatans that paraded themselves as politicians of note while the real politicians in the APC with reliable structures that could net reasonable votes were left in the cold. The same scenario is now repeating itself to produce same 2023 results.

Bauchi State 2023 voting pattern was influenced by the outcome of the February 23 Presidential/National Assembly elections, regardless of the fact that all politics, as pundits surmise, is essentially the trend.

A state that in 2015 and 2019 gave the APC majority of its presidential votes for free, and made a clean sweep of the National Assembly seats, deployed the same voting pattern to give the House of Assembly to same party but avoided capping it up in 2019 by putting the party’s standard-bearer, M.A Abubakar back to the Government House confirmed political awareness needing improvement and sustenance.

Bauchi State, arguably as one of the most progressing states in Nigeria under the leadership of Bala Muhammed, is benefiting from the outcome of March 2023 gubernatorial election that brought the PDP to power accompanied with majority State and National Assembly members.

Hard as APC tried in 2023, and regardless of how ingeniously or bitterly they framed their campaign, Bauchi State voters chose to stay static, declined the hand of fellowship from the fractured APC, and voted massively, for the Peoples Democratic Party ideology based on its first tenure performance index.

The huge developmental efforts in Bauchi State began with Abubakar Tatari Ali’s tenure (1979 – 1983), rolled through the Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu tenure (1999-2007) and further accentuated during the tenure of Malam Isa Yuguda (2007-2015), strengthened and improved upon by M A Abubakar before Sen. Bala Muhammed arrived the scene in 2019 to move the state onto the fastest lane to greatness.

Despite some modifications and adjustments, those inherited developmental efforts are sustained. Therefore, the state was expected to be reluctant to allowing those efforts hamstrung by needless experimentations or contemplate a sudden and traumatizing turn towards retaining APC in power and conservatism.

Bauchi State therefore, made a wise choice between Sen. Bala Muhammed and others despite the muddying of the waters by a coterie of campaigners bent on to mid-wife crafted deceitful change for the heck of it. They are back with another crafted slogan of deceit for 2027, christened Renewed Hope Agenda.

The state has since 2019 became a vast construction yard for state-of-the-art projects that began at the onset of the Bala Muhammed administration, projects designed and owned by the PDP and its progenitors in trust for the state. If PDP had campaigned on the platform of the dividends of the stewardship of the Goodluck Jonathan administration alone that are scattered all over the state, many of which are world-class, the electorates could have wondered why there was even a need in 2015 to elect APC to fix what was not broken.

But PDP as a democratic institution voided committing itself on what to offer during 2019 campaign as a start to its own new projects. APC was a parasite on the perceived credibility of Buhari, while PDP had what to offer from its stewardship. The difference was clear!

If PDP had relied on the stewardship of Goodluck, voters could have asked whether the opposition parties planned to abandon the state’s APC blue-print, including the time it would take to conceive a new blue-print and the attendant cost of delay and transition.

Bauchi State, given its ballooning population, could claim not to afford the fresh costs or the time wastage. Recall, for instance, how Sen. Bala Muhammed became snarled in a thicket when he attempted to re-conceptualize ghost workers bedeviling the civil service and those itchy-fingered rogues who stole systematically from government. He never relented until he flushed those criminals out including the State’s Accountant-General, one Sa’idu Abubakar.

Sa’idu Abubakar, in his myopic reasoning, rated himself as untouchable simply because he allegedly mustered the art of hypocrisy and betrayal. He was brought in by then Governor M.A Abubakar based on the strength of his credentials. But as characteristics of him, he betrayed the trust reposed in him by same M.A Abubakar at the most trying time. Now, he turned his war machinery against Governor Bala Muhammed for retaining him as Accountant-General instead of redeployment, and eventual sack.

The deck was stacked on many fronts and at many levels against the opposition candidates. PDP had to overcome many obstacles, including the catalyzing effect of Buhari factor, the electorate’s reluctance to move Bauchi State into opposition at the centre at a time the state was claimed to begin to benefit from being a part of the national ruling party, and the complaints about cost and time wastage involved in re-conceptualizing a new blue-print for the state and reconfiguring it into unaccustomed conservatism.

Apart from these, most of the opposition candidates apart from those in the PDP were unable to dispel suspicion of inexperience in public administration, most especially in a democracy which the state now experiences.

Despite its quality and acceptability, PDP was not pretending or ignorant of the campaign inspired by opposition parties especially on the heels of the 2023 victories recorded by APC at the National and State Assembly elections. APC erroneously believed the victory recorded was to be replicated in the gubernatorial election with little modification.

However, the APC victory contained no substance because it never produced prospective sterling achievers but mere paperweights without basic ingredients of sound representation that couldn’t threaten chances of PDP in the elections.

PDP successfully and consistently produced men and women who made tremendous positive impact at both state and national levels of governance that deserve special mention and commendation the likes of Sen. Bala Muhammed, Sen. Abdul Ningi, Yakubu Dogara, Sani Ahmed Toro, Farouk Mustapha, Sen. Baba Tela, Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, Umaru Dahiru, the late Sen. Bashir Mustapha and few others.

Bauchi State, perhaps more than any other state, has in fact produced countless public and private sector, achievers now showcasing value of tutelage and mentoring in national affairs.

Opposition candidates had framed some uneasy relationships between contending personalities in the PDP as one of master and servant. That was a misreading of the process that adroitly produced the present leaders.

The leaders are not robots. They were mentored in part because they demonstrated brilliance, confidence and judgment. Clashes, crisis, friction and misunderstanding within were, therefore inevitable in a democracy. But the process of producing leaders and achievers by the PDP in Bauchi State has continued apace, and the leadership mill is consistently replenished, and more bright minds are churned from the party’s hatchery. The failure of some PDP aspirants at the party’s primary election in 2023 capitalized upon by opposition candidates as an example to illustrate their arguments, had nothing to do with the party’s leadership, but was a consequence of the aspirants’ difficult interaction with the party apparatchik and members.

Regardless of the implausibility of opposition arguments, they will continue to overheat the polity with baseless accusations and allegations in an attempt to confuse the people for acceptability while the opposite remains the truth.

As for the 2027 coming contests, if not the former governor, M.A Abubakar who has a solid and reliable structure within the APC, who again has the capacity to stand on the victory path of APM?

Opposition candidates may be good public speakers as they repeatedly demonstrate during campaign, but they cannot prove by way of ideas and personal example that they possess the qualities of leaders and bureaucrats for trust with public offices.

For instance, Hon. Farouk Mustapha, a gifted politician is good at rating the intelligence of his listeners once opportune but was miraculously dribbled and cajoled by his fellow 2023 gubernatorial contestants in the APC fold so were Capt. Bala Jibrin, Barr Ibrahim Zailani, Sen. Lawal Yahaya Gumau (late), Dr Musa Babayo, Sen. Halliru Jika and Nura Manu Soro.

Combined with their co-travelers, their strongest and determined opponent, Sen. Bala Muhammed deployed experience, courage and training, not to say only by personal qualities, that he was the safer bet to remain faithful to Bauchi State’s developmental blue-print, to improve on it, and continue to expand and modernize infrastructure, and to nurture the state mystique of producing local and national leaders for our today and tomorrow so why not stand by him in APM, encourage him and support his laudable achievements for collective benefit?

The writing is clear and the pendulum swings to his side as the most desirable with the Midas touch. The should people ignore the antics of failed politicians whose stock in trade is to use others to project their battered images to occupy key government positions for selfish interest that have expired without garbage value.

The people’s support to Sen. Bala for safe navigation is therefore timely, vital and crucial for a better and safer Bauchi State under APM.

As for the 2027 political battle, toddlers, juveniles and merchants are said to be nursing gubernatorial ambition to replace Bala Muhammed after his successful two-term tenure that ends in 2027.

But of the lot rumored, only one possible candidate within the PDP fold from my rating qualifies for now, Sen. Abdul Ahmed Ningi. APC has M.A Abubakar SAN as the most qualified by all standards while APM has Farouk Mustapha and Yakubu Adamu PhD as qualified. The other parties are nurturing jokers and spoilers for recognition.

We are not talking of immunity seekers from arrest of their sordid past, opportunists, illegal bunkerers, fuel subsidy racketeers, political errand boys or rabble -rousers now masquerading as politicians by sheer ambition but, we are talking of true and genuine democrats with functional brains that think fast ahead of others not regular visitors to anti-corruption agencies, the living rooms of godfathers and sponsors or those enmeshed in credibility crisis.

Governor Bala said: “Bauchi should have the best of the best. The state cannot afford to fall into the hands of incapacitated persons in any elective or appointive position henceforth.”

Bauchi State set the pace in modern democracy through parliamentary system of governance. It gave Nigeria its first prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and other credible politicians of note.

In 1979, it had its first elected governor, Abubakar Tatari Ali, a retired accomplished federal permanent secretary. In 1993, it had Dahiru Deba, an accomplished technocrat. In 1999, it was governed by a focused leader that governed with passion, Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu. In 2007, it had a boardroom manager with determination, Isa Yuguda.

In 2015, a legal luminary with courage, zeal and determination to excel, M A. Abubakar governed the state to his best despite stiff opposition within his party for failing to succumb to evil advances against public interest.

In 2019, a man blessed with a first class brain, courage and zeal of performance, arrived the scene, Bala Muhammed who made it a duty to transform the state to an enviable position in the reality of life.

With this list of eminent personalities that governed with dexterity and excellence, how can the people allow the state to slip to the dark days of underdevelopment? How can opportunists, noisemakers and criminally-minded be allowed to replace a great performer, Sen. Bala Muhammed in 2027? Is Bauchi State for destruction of bequeathed legacies? Let’s shudder to think!

The state eagerly waits for any casualty deceived by marabouts, prophets of doom, Babalawos and fortune tellers to try luck for a wrong investment before shamed. The state has outgrown political deceit or mere candidature endorsement from clowns and hangers-on.

But whosoever may be endorsed on the platform of APM by Bala Muhammed as his replacement in 2027 would be the very best bet to be trusted to carry the mantle.

Let’s not succumb to political rascality and ibeberism at best with wishy-washy mudslinging and bogus claims of imaginary care where there are none!

Muhammad is a commentator on nation al issues