Bauchi PDP elders draw battle line with SSG

All seems not to be well with the Bauchi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) few weeks to the commencement of electioneering campaigns for the 2023 General elections.

The problem is between elders of the party, and the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) which the Elders have berated for not being friendly with the entire structure of the party.

The Elders have therefore drawn a battle line with the Office expressing their resolve to distance themselves from the office and the person presently occupying it, Ibrahim Mohammed Kashim.

The Elders stated that their decision was informed by what they described as saving their prestige and dignity in the scheme of things.

According to the Bauchi PDP Elders, their continued interaction with the office of State SSG as it is currently would erode their self-esteems in the eyes of the public, hence they had collectively decided to henceforth “call a spade a spade” .

Speaking on behalf of the Elders, onetime Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Bappa Haruna Disina told newsmen in Bauchi on Monday that most of the PDP stakeholders in the state do not have a cordial relationship with the SSG for what they termed his “pomposity and disregard to party henchmen” .

Haruna Disina a former Political Adviser to Governor Bala Mohammed described the SSG as “an amateur in the political arena, hence he could not know the value of elders in the party, especially in the game of partisan politics” .

According to him, “Politics in Nigeria today is entirely different with that of yester-years such as was practiced in the second republic where adherence to the implementation of party manifesto is the key word, but now, money is the influencing factor. So, if you have a stingy political appointee, the story would be entirely different”.

Read also:I’m not stepping down for anybody —Bala Mohammed

He added that, “Those holding appointive political offices should take into cognizance that the country is now heading towards the general elections, hence they must pave way for political actors to sail through the rigors of electioneering, unless that is done, both sides of the coin would miss the game”.

Haruna Disina further stressed the need for the political gladiators, and their supporters in the likes of Ibrahim Kashim to strictly abide by the rules of the political game, else they would end up in jeopardy.

“There is no cause to complain to the state Governor about anything going on within his administration, he knows the in and out of the government, especially as it relates to the SSG stewardship. The Governor is fully aware of all those gimmicks, machinations, clandestine and the political class, so why should one grumble”.

The SSG could not be reached for reaction to the development as he was said not to be in the office when a group of Journalists went there to get his reaction.

Ibrahim Kashim is an ally of the governor. It would be recalled that he was the pseudo candidate of the PDP during the last gubernatorial primary after which he withdrew for the governor who had lost the PDP presidential ticket to Atiku Abubakar.

By Yemi Kanji

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