Suleiman M. Bisalla
7 October 2008
opinion
His election as the forth executive governor of Bauchi State will become a reference point in Nigerian politics for a long time to come.
On 14th April, 2007, voters in Bauchi staged a near perfect example of what the Nigerian electorate should do to protect their mandate even in the kind of kangaroo election that has been the hallmark of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mallam Isa Yuguda who emerged as governor after defeating the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party he left he left grudgingly a few weeks to the polls following the violence meted on him, could not have got a better deal with the electorate.
But it is time to pay back. Every one knows this, not least Governor Yuguda, who was the biggest beneficiary of the locally invented electoral formula, Akasa atsare araka ajira, which proved the only solution to the notorious rigging machine of the PDP. The resolve of the voters to sacrifice everything including their lives, thus, sealed a covenant between Yuguda and the electorate.
Knowing the political trend in Nigeria therefore, many analysts had opined that the kind of support Yuguda got at the polls also meant some stressful headache for him. First, he would be expected to accomplish the many things previously neglected, and obviously with limited resources. Second, he is faced with a myriad of political foot soldiers yearning for compensation for the tasks they undertook to ensure victory.
Recently, the gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress (AC) in Bauchi State, Alhaji Ahmed Shuaibu, had alleged at a press statement that Governor Yuguda had reneged on certain agreements he reached with leaders of the AC to secure their support during the election. But what is the nature of the agreement, and to what extent is it a burden to the governor?
The press statement made available to Daily Trust said: "this is somebody we met and discussed on the way forward for the development of the state. Even when the leadership of the AC insisted that the governor makes commitment on appointments into offices before the elections, I personally intervened and persuaded our people to go ahead and work in the interest of the state."
According to Alhaji Shuaibu , "one year after the election in which the AC, ANPP and other stakeholders teamed up to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, the governor has become evasive." The statement also lamented that "Yuguda has failed to extend a hand of fellowship to those who worked for his success during the elections."
The AC candidate contended that Yuguda's failure to make himself accessible since he assumed office had put unbearable pressure on the leadership of the AC in the state as they find it hard to explain to their followers why they were persuaded to support the ANPP during the election.
"As a leader in the state I am having a hard time explaining Yuguda's volte-face and restraining my members. Our word should be our bond," Alhaji Shuaibu said.
But Governor Yuguda, in his reaction, said if there was such a complaint, it should not emanate from the AC because even though the party is insignificant in the political equation of Bauchi State, it has been fairly taken care of by his administration.
Speaking through his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Hon. Abdulmuminu Kundak, the governor described the allegations as spurious and of no effect on his administration's moving train that is working to accomplish its covenant with the people of Bauchi State.
Kundak said the governor neither failed nor delayed in fulfilling any agreements since he assumed office. He said recognising the effort of everyone in the "Yuguda hurricane" that swept away the PDP in Bauchi state, his administration set out on a mission to provide purposeful leadership, carrying everyone along irrespective of party leanings. In spite of all that, there are elements that will never see anything good in what the government does, he said.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Kundak said: "Already a lot of members of the other political parties have been given more than their fair share of opportunities to serve in this government. This has been done with a view to carrying all sheds of opinions along. In fact, AC as political party should be grateful to His Excellency's magnanimity because we had to left out some of our (PDP) members in order to accommodate some AC members.
The political adviser therefore said he found it the allegations frivolous, baseless and of no consequence. He said the AC has never been a force to reckon with in the political equation of Bauchi State.
"Even the senatorial seat AC occupies at the moment from the state which makes some of them restless is a product of a technical error as a result of which the court declared the AC candidate as winner. The party (AC) knows that it did not score up to half the total votes of the ANPP candidate... Everyone knows that the Bauchi North Senatorial seat belongs to All Nigerian People's Party in terms of total votes," he added.
In any case, Hon. Kundak said the Yuguda administration has so far been the most accommodating government in the history of Bauchi State.
"In fact, it is the sense of accommodation of the administration and tolerance that gave some members of the AC the guts to ask for more like Oliver Twist. These same people are the ones living elsewhere in the country, not knowing the needs of our dear people or what is happening here at home but keep accusing us of not involving everyone in the government," he said.
According to Kundak, since the inception, the Yuguda administration has left its doors open advice and constructive criticisms. He said the government had created fora for interaction with the political parties as well as groups and interested persons, and will continue to maintain this.
The governor's aide however observed that a fraction of AC members were making efforts to play up the old fashion dichotomy in the state to create division.
Also reacting to claims that the AC candidate and his members worked for the success of Governor Yuguda, Hon. Kundak argued that the AC had to join the bandwagon because it was clear to it that it could not stand alone.
"Who worked for his success, AC? Then what will you say of the ANPP? Well, I know that AC as a party could not stand on its own and so it joined the bandwagon when it sighted the Yuguda hurricane in 2007, and in any case it has been adequately taken care of.
In his press statement, the AC candidate had also raised allegations of non-performance, alleging that although the governor had collected over N60b from the federation account since he assumed office, the level of development is not commensurate with the revenue.
Alh. Shuaibu was particularly piqued that the governor is not doing much to address the issue of youth unemployment in the state.
Reacting to these allegations, the governor's aide said: "I do not know how he arrived at his figure." In terms of the performance, he said the Yuguda administration deliberately shied away from making noise and allowed the people to make their objective assessment.
"Those living in Bauchi State are the best people to assess the performance of the administration. Although ours is not a noise making administration, with our short stint in office, we have been able to positively touch the lives of most of the people of Bauchi State in different social sectors, unknown to those living outside the state and not caring to visit home," Kundak said.
"For instance, the government awarded contracts for several inter-local government roads to open up the areas and boost socio-economic activities. One of such, he said, is the 123 kilometer Ningi-Burra road, which the previous administration kept citing in its budget speeches without accomplishing.
But this government has now awarded that road and others with sixty percent down payment made to the contractors, he said.
Similarly, the 88 kilometer Alkaleri-Futuk in Bauchi South senatorial district had also been awarded to bring to an end the sufferings of the people of that area. In addition, in the Bauchi North senatorial district, Azare-Isawa-Giade road was awarded, he said. According to him there are other roads like Gumau-Rishi-Rahama in Bauchi South, Soro-Miya road in Bauchi Central and Gamawa-Alagarmo road.
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