While he is publicly seeking the presidential ticket of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the governor of Bauchi State, Mr. Bala Mohammed has reportedly secretly obtained the Nomination and Expression of Interest forms and been cleared to contest in his State’s governorship primary.
It’s noteworthy that Mr. Mohammed will serve out his first term as governor of the State in 2023, hence eligible for re-election.
There have been speculations over who will emerge as his successor in 2023 after he declared his intention to run for Nigeria’s presidency.
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One of such speculations suggested that the Secretary to the Government of the State, Mr. Ibrahim Kashim entered a pact to act as placeholder for the governor.
According to the claim, Mr. Kashim secretly resigned and obtained the governorship nomination and expression of interest forms of the party and would proceed to compete in the primary.
The peddlers of the speculations are of the view that if Mr. Kashim wins, and Mr. Mohammed is not successful in his bid to be the party’s presidential candidate, the former would step down and be replaced by the latter who has been his boss.
But party insiders with knowledge of what is being played out in the State’s PDP secretariat have dismissed this speculation as untrue, informing that Mr. Mohammed has not only secretly purchased the form for the State’s gubernatorial primary but has been screened and cleared to compete during the primary.
This revelation gives credence to the allegation by another contestant for the party’s presidential ticket, Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, that some of his rivals in the contest are not as committed as he is because they have secretly obtained nomination and expression of interest forms for other positions they hoped to fall back on.
Last month, Mr. Mohammed and a former senate president, Bukola Saraki, were controversially selected as consensus candidates of the northern region during the party’s primary. But other contestants from the region rejected that decision.
When reached for response, the Spokesperson for Mr. Mohammed’s presidential campaign, Udenta Udenta, described his boss’ clearance to run for the Bauchi PDP’s gubernatorial primary, as being speculated, as a rumour and declined to tender further comments.
“I don’t comment on mere rumours. What I know is that he had been screened to contest for the presidency and he has joined a long list of other candidates.” he said.
But some sources have refuted the spokesperson’s claim, saying the purchase of the gubernatorial forms by Mr. Mohammed is beyond mere rumours and that he would most likely withdraw from the presidential race before long.
This manner of behaviour has become a norm among the teeming Nigeria’s politicians, who I often referred to as politicos. They keep on deceiving their gullible followers, who apparently have no say of their own.
A similar act was displayed by Sen. Rochas Okorocha, the erstwhile governor of Imo State, in 2014 prior to the 2015 general elections when he was aspiring to clinch the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He wasn’t successful in his presidential bid, hence later fall back to emerge as the party’s governorship flag-bearer in Imo, after which he eventually became the State’s governor for his second term.
Time has obviously come for the Nigeria’s electorate to wake up from slumber, else they stand to regret it once again come 2023.