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By Akanji Olowolodu, Bauchi
In the wake of political tension generated by recent clashes between supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which is in opposition in Bauchi state and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which is in power in the state, gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Ambassador Saddique Baba Abubakar has declared that neither himself nor his party can be intimidated as build up to the March 18th gubernatorial election.
The assertion was made by the APC gubernatorial candidate while speaking to Journalists on the recent clash in Duguri Town, Alkaleri LGA.
According to him, “I served in the Air France and by the special grace of God, I finished my service after 42 years and I am back home now to Bauchi. I want you to take note of this information.”
He stressed that, “For somebody who has been in the security sector, who has been in the forefront of ensuring that the lives of Nigerians are protected, their property are protected, for anybody to allege that my team will be going out to kill anybody, I think that person must be out if his or her mind.”
Saddique Abubakar added that, “I am sure that you are aware, you must have seen several clips, all the 20 LGAs I have visited, wherever I go, I urged my supporters not to shed any body’s blood, it is there for everybody to see and I challenge the Governor to show me just one clip where he told his people not to shed anyone’s blood or take the life of any person.”
The gubernatorial candidate further said that,”I am a 3-Star retired General, so I know what it means to really protect the lives and properties of the people, so, I have made it abundantly clear severally that the politics we have here in Bauchi is to build but not to destroy, so, we have urged our supporters as i said repeatedly, you can go online and see it. I have never urge and will never urge anybody to shed the blood of another person because of politics. We are in the 21st Century which is a Knowledge driven century, this barbaric attitude does not fit this century.”
He declared that,”I want to say clearly now that we were attacked and I want you to also take note, gentlemen, that in all the locations that we were attacked, let’s start with Akuyam, it is the hometown of the PDP state chairman, the second place we were attacked is Duguri which is the hometown of the Governor, the center of PDP activities.”
He stressed that,”All other LGAs we visited, nobody attacked or shot at us, meanwhile, the Governor went to my LGA, Giade and he was well received, nobody intimidated him, nobody insulted him, nobody shot at him nor killed anyone.”
“But, if you look at all these locations, they are PDP locations, even in the Duguri axis, we have been to Kundak, and so many others, what we saw was a jubilant crowd welcoming us, nobody was attacked, why in Duguri? Why in Akuyam, the hometown of the PDP Chairman? These are questions they need to answer, he said.
He further said that, “So, I want to say that the APC will not be intimidated, we will look at the all situations and I have told all my supporters to exercise maximum restraint and make sure that they did not attack anybody. Whether they like it or not, by the grace of God, this PDP government will be dismantled by the people, the collective will of all the citizens of Bauchi State cannot be intimidated by bullet.”
While narrating the incident, he said that, “In Duguri, my security details were shot, we have Mohammed Wunti who was shot in the stomach by the PDP thugs, Babangida Adamu was shot in his hands and then Sani Ali, shot in his leg and back, 2 of the guys, (Wunti and Babangida) have been operated on, they underwent surgery this morning (Friday) and are recuperating, I visited them at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital ATBUTH, I saw them, I met them and we were able to support them.”
“The last person, Sani Ali, needs a MRI scan which unfortunately is not working here in Bauchi but if we cannot get it here, we are making arrangements to fly him to Abuja for it. These are the people that were shot, you can go and see them and verify, not the so called claim of 15 people injured, who are they, tell us their names,” he said.
Saddique Abubakar claimed that,”At the end of the shooting exercise, our security men pursued the guys, the thugs and were able to recover 2 rifles, and I am sure security agencies normally issue licences before one can own a rifle, they are here and we will hand them over to the Police for investigation.”
He stressed that,”Like I have said, we cannot be intimidated, you cannot fight the collective will of the people by shooting them. Whatever you must have heard are blatant lies, that the PDP DG, Faruk Mustapha and himself, Governor Bala Mohammed are busy spreading lies against us.”
According to him,”and I believe that our people are intelligent enough, all those who are following the events across the country are also intelligent and they will be able to decipher it, what is real and what is fictitious. We have now seen that they are using the DG and some other individuals which I will not mention their names but we are monitoring them.”
He declared that,”Nobody will intimidate the APC, I mean nobody. What I urged the Governor to do, is to explain and provide answers to the questions I raised. If you go to mobilize thugs just because you want to intimidate people, and apart from us, they are also intimidating traditional rulers and title holders, in some of places we went all the traditional rulers were gone and disappeared because they were scared.”
He warned the Governor not to go about intimidating people,”threatening them that if they receive me, he will sack them, even his brother in Duguri, he was not there, he ran away but I went inside the Palace because it is not the person but the stool and institution that I respect, I don’t care whether or not you are there. I went there, greeted the so called person that said that he was representing him but shortly after I left, he came back, it is extremely sad.”
“But definitely, I want to finally appeal to the APC supporters not to be distracted by this fictitious claims of the PDP, as a state, we are united that this government has failed and that we are going to send it packing by the Special grace of God on the 18th of March, the people will speak,” he said.
He also said that,”and on that day, I hope they will not come out with thugs because we are also monitoring what they are doing and I know there is likelihood that they might end up coming out with thugs but I am sure that the security agents that we have are equal to the task as they are also monitoring,”
Saddique Abubakar also said,”and I want to call my supporters wherever they are in Bauchi state not to shed any body’s blood. I challenge the Governor to make this simple sentence if he can, he has never said it and I have said it in all the 20 LGAs, what I heard him saying is that if somebody brings out his finger, we will break it, that is what I heard in Dass, I challenge him to come out clearly and say this is what I told my people don’t shed anybody’s blood, don’t take anyone’s life, that is a challenge and I hope that he will say it but I know that he will not.”
The gubernatorial candidate said that, “Finally, I want to say that, this Democratic process is not a war we are not fighting a war and I have told my supporters that we don’t fight a ward with billboards, posters, no, not with those, it is about knowledge, explanation, persuasion for them to believe you and vote for you based on the situation on the ground. In sha Allah, the APC will win the election and dismantle the unjust government and make the people be free again and be the custodians of governance unlike now where just a few people sit at the Government House to decide the fate of the millions of people in the State.”
