While reacting to a recent press briefing addressed by the two politicians held in Abuja recently, the Special Adviser to the Bauchi State Governor on Political Affairs, Kawu Labaran in a press statement he signed and made available to newsmen on Thursday stated that “Government is compelled to react to the text of a press conference jointly addressed on Wednesday, 7th of November 2018 by two unskilled politicians, Alhaji Ibrahim Yakubu Lame and Alhaji Bala Jibrin, both yet to come to reality with the fact that power, any power, comes from God.”
He further stated that, “Since the APC primaries to select candidates that will fly the party’s flag in the 2019 general elections in which Alhaji Ibrahim Yakubu Lame and Alhaji Bala Jibrin lost their bid to take the gubernatorial ticket, these two have run from pillar to post to upturn the popular will of the party faithful. They even went to the Aso Rock villa where Mr President pointedly told them to channel their gubernatorial grievances to the appropriate party leadership.”
Kawu Labaran further stated that “Alhaji Lame and Alhaji Jibrin appeared not to be satisfied with that kind of response. It is not our intention to respond to all the frivolous allegations they made in their address to Journalists because Bauchi State Government under the leadership of Governor M. A. Abubakar strongly believes in constituted authority.”
“According to existing laws, which the two kindergarten politicians appear not to have respect for, candidates duly nominated are submitted to INEC, the nation’s electoral umpire, by the political parties. In the case of Bauchi State, the gubernatorial candidate that was duly nominated to fly APC’s flag in 2019 is Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar and that has been fully acknowledged by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,” the Special Adviser further stated.
Reacting further to the claims by the two politicians, Kawu Labaran stressed that, “For the avoidance of doubt, some of the processes of the 2019 Bauchi gubernatorial primary election were dictated by the two politicians. They were the ones who insisted that “direct” primary election must be held even after the state party stakeholders had agreed on delegates’ election and had endorsed Governor Mohammed A. Abubakar and President Muhammadu Buhari.”
He also explained that “They also insisted that returning officers in the 20 local government areas must be chairmen of Nigerian Union of Teachers. Governor Abubakar also agreed. But when the results came out and they realised that they were not in touch with the voters and party members, they resorted to cheap blackmail with the sole aim of rocking the boat.”
He added that “Their plot has been exposed and ultimately the decision of who occupies the Bauchi Government House is solely that of voters, the common man whose life the administration of Governor M. A. Abubakar has in the last three years touched positively in spite of failed attempts by serial elections losers to distract him.”
“Government is not surprised they resort to the gimmicks of 2014 when Lame lost the gubernatorial ticket and left no stone unturned to discredit the incumbent Governor WHO EXTENDED THE HANDS of friendship then and even now. That gesture led to the appointment of Alhaji Lame’s major allies and drivers of his campaign organisation who were co-opted into the M. A. Abubakar campaign council and eventually into cabinet positions in his government,” he added.
Kawu Labaran concluded that “They never wavered even as their former principal fought a proxy legal battle against the election of Governor Abubakar to the Supreme Court. Back in 2015, the candidate, Mohammed Abubakar extended hands of friendship to Lame all in his bid to move Bauchi State forward. As governor, he still maintains that anyone having any contribution to the development of Bauchi state, including people who have dissenting viewpoints, are welcome so long as their criticisms are constructive and in the best interest of the state and the common man.”
It would be recalled that both Dr Ibrahim Yakubu Lame and Captain Muhammad Bala Jibrin as well as Professor Mohammed Ali Pate had contested but lost the APC gubernatorial ticket to the incumbent Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar during the party primary held last month.