By Mohammed Umar As the upcoming local government elections scheduled for August 17, 2024, approach, political dynamics are heating up in Ba...
By Mohammed Umar
As the upcoming local government elections scheduled for August 17, 2024, approach, political dynamics are heating up in Bauchi State. The elections, held in adherence to constitutional mandates, have prompted scrutiny of candidates from various political parties, except for the SDP, which has opted out of the process, citing allegations and concerns raised by the state secretary at the NUJ secretariat in Bauchi last week.
Nearly every political party has fielded candidates for chairmanship and councillorship positions. However, in Dass Local Government Area, a notable division has emerged among stakeholders who, despite their strong support for the PDP-led government under Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, are openly rejecting the party's candidate, the incumbent caretaker chairman, Mohamed Jibo.
These stakeholders describe Jibo as a "pompous and deceptive politician" who is "self-centered and lacking the innovation needed to effectively manage the Local Government Council." Mohamed Sani, one of the stakeholders, declared, "On election day, Wallahi, we’ll all be out to vote for a better person with proven integrity and an unblemished record to set things right. We are in a dire situation—our schools are non-functional, and our children are living in extremely deplorable conditions. Our hospital is the most dreadful in the state."
Shuaibu Musa, another stakeholder, echoed these sentiments, describing the PDP candidate as the worst leader Dass could have, stating that any vote for Jibo would be a mistake born out of misplaced loyalty to the PDP. He added, "We would be pleased if the two major anti-graft agencies would launch an investigation into the hundreds of millions of naira accrued to the local government during his tenure. He should publicly account for the federal allocations and internally generated revenue and explain how these funds were used for the benefit of the people of Dass."
The stakeholders passionately called on the people of Dass to vote for a candidate who genuinely cares about their well-being, rather than supporting "a mediocre leader who is overly ambitious for power and prefers cheap media publicity."
To verify these claims, our team toured the local government area and captured images of the deteriorating infrastructure. Some parents have also appealed to Governor Bala to intervene by improving modern learning centers with adequate facilities, given the overwhelming support they have provided to the PDP in past elections.
Repeated attempts to reach out to the caretaker chairman, Mohamed Jibo, were met with silence, as he responded only with "Ok," which has become typical of his communication style.
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