Danlami Ahmad Kawule, Deputy Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
For ascribing terrorism to the person of Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom has been called upon to immediately apologize to the people of Bauchi State for making such derogatory statement.
Deputy Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Danlami Ahmed Kawule, representing Zungur/ Galanbi faulted Governor Samuel Ortom for making such statement, saying that he should as a matter of urgency withdraw it forthwith.
The Deputy Speaker who stated this on Tuesday during an interview with newsmen in Bauchi, said that the citizens of Bauchi as well as the People Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state are not happy over the strain in relationship between the two PDP governors who are supposed to be working towards the unity of the nation.
He maintained that leaders in the country should refrain from making utterances that has the capacity to heat up the polity, pointing out that no nation can progress in a state of chaos.
Danlami Kawule said that, “As far as I am concerned, Governor Ortom needs to apologise to the people of Bauchi State for tagging Governor Mohammed as a terrorist because Bauchi people are not terrorists neither is the Governor.Such statement should not come out from the mouth of a leader who happens to be a mouth piece of the people who everybody look forward to as a role model”
He added that, “For him to say that if you cannot follow the law in Benue state, go to Bauchi State and pick AK47 is very dehumanizing.What does Governor Ortom mean by such a statement?That statement is an abusive word.We are not happy over this development because Bauchi State is the most secured place in the country where other neighbouring states who are bedeviled by insecurity come to settle”
The Deputy Speaker further said that, “Governor Mohammed has been working hard to foster peaceful coexistence in the country and not to disintegrate it.When he said fulanis herds should defend themselves, it was not to create tension in the country, but to profer solutions to the insecurity problems in the country”.
Danlami Kawule also said that Fulani Herders have the right to defend themselves, stressing that tagging them as terrorist was unfair and not in the interest peaceful coexistence.
