By George Onmonya Daniel
Bauchi State has always been an interesting case every gubernatorial election. Let me tell you why. The people have a way of swinging for or against their governors. If you recall the previous governor before Bala, Mr M.A. Abubakar spent just one term. Once the people of Bauchi are against you as a politician, you are in for a shocker. They are aware. But can a people be against a man who has done this well? Yes, Gov. Bala Mohammed has done very well. Having an experience already as FCT Minister, after winning the man hit down straighHe t and started working for his people.
Governor Bala Mohammed does not have the best Media Aide who splashes the man on social media like Govenor Zulum of Borno State. Professor Zulum has a department of online media people who are paid to do such for the governor from the beginning, thanks to an experienced Media Aide who knows the people of the social media. I have followed Gov. Bala Mohammed because my father retired in Bauchi and I have lived one time in both Azare and the capital. That aside, Hon. Mansur Manu Soro, a current House of Representative Member was close to me. Mansur won the election under the APC and recently defected to the PDP. I still haven’t gotten the full reason why he did that, but trust our politicians in Nigeria, they usually defect to another party because of their own personal interests.
From education to infrastructure, human empowerment, stabilising the pensive atmosphere between minority groups in the state, even Govenor Bala Mohammed’s enemies would tell you he did well. When you have friends, you definitely have enemies, as a journalist when I am looking for the truth, I call people who do not like a politician first, the opposition, I listen to them, read what they are writing, before I call those who are apolitical and later supporters of the politician if there is a need, mostly there is no need, apart from few, most people would likely praise their bosses.
Independent people have done their various researches and confided on me that in terms of overall development policies and general performances that touched the urban areas as it did the rural communities, Governor Bala Mohammed is the best in the North. For that he has won several awards that his people have said he deserves. But if Governor Bala Mohammed has done this well, why does he need to worry? Perhaps he is not worried. But then Bala Mohammed is against a retired Airforce Chief who retired from the battle front tackling Boko Haram to the war front of Bauchi politics. Even though most Nigerians would tell you that Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar was one of the worst of Nigeria’s military heads to preside over that post, transferring his war experience into politics even makes Bauchi 2023 more interesting.
Fresh out of government, with enough money to throw around, with his wife being the current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, so close to President Buhari that people have rumored there was a love affairs, Air Marshal Saddique is a formidable opposition. Should that worry Governor Bala Mohammed in a state as unpredictable as Bauchi?
People who study power and the politics of Bauchi have told me not to.worry. The people are fully aware of what Governor Bala Mohammed has done over the past three years going to four and it will hard for people to sway them around. President Buhari’s personal failures as the president despite the overwhelming support he has always gotten from Bauchi is not helping the APC gubernatorial aspirant. Even if he matches the govenor money for money, power for power, he cannot say he has wide rural appeal like the governor who.has been in politics for decades.
When you watch what his happening in 2023, one particular case you should watch shoukd be Bauchi State. Its going to be the clash of the titans.
