APC primaries: Bauchi Governor warned to uphold truth, honesty

AS controversies continue to trail the conduct of the primaries of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bauchi State over the yet to be announced results of State and National Assembly primaries of the party days after the conduct of the exercise, an aspirant of the party, Aliyu Ibrahim Gebi has warned the State Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar to ensure that truth and justice prevails in order to brighten the chances of the party come 2019.

While speaking with Journalists in Bauchi on Monday, Aliyu Gebi, who is aspiring to represent Bauchi Federal constituency, opined that the onus now lies on Governor Mohammed Abubakar as the leader of the party in the state to stand on truth and honesty by ensuring that the voice of the people is not scuttled.

The aspirant who once represented the Constituency at the House of Representatives on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) from 2011 to 2015, said: “God gave Abubakar power to become Governor that is why I once said that rather than fighting the Governor, the federal legislators from Bauchi State should unite with him for the development of Bauchi State”.

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“But I am telling you that if we are not careful this time around, as a ruling party, we will suffer the consequences like never before. Let us not do things that will come and haunt us in the general election. If we don’t do what is right, we might lose all the seats in 2019″ he feared.

Aliyu Gebi further said that “The PDP is waiting for us, and, if there are litigations, they could take seats from us if we don’t do things properly and rightly. If we don’t ensure that the best are chosen by our people to represent them, it will spell doom. They must choose between accepting a token and electing people that will go there and give them dividends of democracy. So we must be watchful for the people aspiring to represent us. Most of them are concerned about their personal gains.”

The former federal legislator said he is the most popular and acceptable among those aspiring for the seat because according to him, “I have no godfather and I come from a humble background. My boast is God, I don’t have backing from any man. I always hold on to God and the truth. I have no doubt that I am the one that the people of Bauchi want.

He added that “In 2015, they rejected me and I left. Now they want me to be back and that is why I returned. Till I completed my four years from 2011 to 2015, I never brought even a plot of land. Throughout my tenure, I was living in a rental house. I never drove the cars I was entitled to as a legislator. I promised to use them to pay school fees of the underprivileged and I did. As far as I was concerned, I saw the seat as a promise to God and my constituents. I see my serving as a legislator as a ticket to heaven.”

Aliyu Gebi also disclosed what he will do if elected to represent Bauchi Federal Constituency, declaring that he will contest for the position of the Speakership of the House explaining that: “I have the highest respect for Speaker Yakubu Dogara who is one of the finest legislators Nigeria has ever produced and I am proud to call him my elder brother and most senior colleague. But the game of politics is a game of interest. I feel the time for Bauchi local government to produce Speaker is now if this arrangement is maintained or even if this arrangement is not maintained, I am going to make a plea for it. I made this clear to the party and my constituency a long time ago”