Bauchi: I only want PDP to retain power in 2027— Party Chieftain

As agitation for a power shift in Bauchi politics to other zones beyond the Bauchi South Senatorial District for the 2027 gubernatorial seat intensifies, an elder statesman in the state, Garba Mohammed Noma, has declared that his primary concern is how the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will retain power in the state.

Garba Noma, who is the Chairman of the PDP Elders Committee in the state, dismissed claims that he has endorsed an aspirant from Bauchi Local Government vying for the party’s gubernatorial ticket in the 2027 general elections.

Speaking to a select group of journalists at his Ramadan Press Office in Bauchi, Garba Noma, a former Chairman of the PDP, stated that he had been widely misquoted regarding his alleged endorsement of his kinsman from Bauchi LGA to succeed Senator Bala Mohammed in 2027.

The businessman clarified: “I was misquoted. I was asked, and I responded that if someone from here is considered the best for the party, I will support them. I don’t have a preferred candidate, but any competent PDP candidate from any part of the state who emerges will have my full support.”

As the Jarman Bauchi Emirate, Garba Noma holds significant influence within and outside the state, making his potential endorsement of any aspirant a critical factor that could shape the party’s unity ahead of the next election.

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He further clarified: “I didn’t endorse anyone from Bauchi Local Government. I was misquoted. Someone asked me at a public function about the many aspirants from Bauchi LGA, and I simply said, ‘May God give us the right leader.’ That does not mean I will not support a PDP candidate from another part of Bauchi.”

He added: “I never said aspirants from other parts of Bauchi should be denied the party’s ticket. However, if someone from Bauchi Local Government emerges as the candidate, it is a matter of prayer, and I see nothing wrong in that.”

According to him, “I have always said before the governor and other stakeholders that may God give us the right person to lead the PDP in 2027. I never specified Bauchi Local Government. But would it be wrong if someone from Bauchi LGA emerged as governor?”

He emphasized: “Someone from Bauchi LGA may be the closest person to me, but I can be close to anyone. However, to say that a Bauchi LGA candidate should not emerge would be unfair.”

Garba Noma concluded: “I want peace, and peace starts with my people before extending to others. It is God who chooses leaders, and I have no objection to whoever emerges, provided they are loved by the majority of the people in PDP.”