……….urges police to unravel the matter
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Against the background of a recent video made by the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Air Marshal Sadiqque Baba Abubakar (Rtd) , where he was seen accusing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State for complicity in recent violence that erupted during one of APC’s campaign tour, the campaign council of the state PDP has dismissed the accusations, describing it as diatribe and vituperation of a spent individual that is lacking in the rudiments of politics.
The campaign council also urged the police command in the state give a true picture of what actually transpired in all the places where violence occurred during APC campaign tour across the State.
The Bauchi State chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Hamza Koshe Akuyam, while addressing journalists Sunday evening, said that the blind accusation of the PDP by APC gubernatorial candidate, Air Marshal Abubakar (Rtd) in the social media channel is phantom and lacking in merit, meant to cause chaos and thereby unnecessarily overheating the peaceful political atmosphere in the state.
“I am happy that most of you journalists were part of our campaign tour across the 20 LGAs of Bauchi state as observers. Not even a single APC poster or billboard was destroyed when we were campaigning.
“It is rather unfortunate having the gubernatorial candidate of the APC Sadiqque Abubakar coming out to mislead people of the State with spurious allegations of violence by our supporters.
“In the video that was supposedly meant to attract sympathy of people, he conveniently forgot to mentioned that violence and shootings also took place during his campaign tour of Toro, Warji, Darazo and Alkaleri LGAs. Also, we saw him displaying den guns as the weapons used against his campaign train in Duguri village. Why didn’t he surrender the guns to the police, and was the bullet shells casings found in Duguri also from the den guns”, Akuyam queried.
The PDP chairman then said that it has become necessary for the police to make public its findings and also prosecute those found guilty in accordance with the laws of the land. This, according to Akuyam, is the only way to put such matters to rest and guilty ones exposed.
Meanwhile, the PDP Chairman has advised the former Governor of the state, Mallam Isa Yuguda not to demean his former position by disrespecting the office of an Executive Governor that he once occupied.
“It is really sad and disheartening to have Mallam Isa Yuguda, a former Governor, being used as a campaign tool kit against Governor Bala Mohammed.
“Not that his being in APC could make any difference during polls, but the aftermath could be very humiliating for Yuguda.
“Governor Bala Mohammed has utmost respect for Yuguda, whom he always described as his boss, but to stoop so low to the level of being used as a campaign tool is, to say the least, disgraceful and demeaning to someone who held the position of a Governor. He should take a cue from former Governors of the State and remain a respected citizen, role model and a father figure to all”, Akuyam adviced.