– says no candidate should be imposed on people of the state
– let people freely decide who leads them
– flays alleged desperation by a few to impose their wishes
An All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Bauchi State, Mohammed Ali Pate has warned that unless the party’s leadership does the needful by allowing members of the party to choose who will be the flag bearer during the 2019 general elections in the state, what is happening to the party in the Osun gubernatorial election will be but a child’s play.
He handed down the warning just as he declared that he is not a party to any pact in the state governorship race.
Addressing a press conference at the NUJ Press Centre, Bauchi, he said that the best solution to the lingering crisis in the party in the state is for the leadership of the party to allow every card-carrying member of the party to participate in the primary election through the direct system because according to him, “anything other than that will spell doom for the party in Bauchi State’.
Pate further cautioned that APC should learn a lesson from the situation in Osun State and do everything possible to avoid imposing a candidate on the people of the state against their wish pointing out that the people should be allowed to have a say on who governs them.
He added that a situation where the state chapter of the party called a stakeholders meeting at the Government House debarring dissenting voice during the meeting has gone along to demonstrate what he described as “desperation of a few to impose their wishes on the teeming members of the party”.
Pate who was a one time Minister of State for Health assured that “I will remain a spoiler for failed governance, I am going to ensure that the failure we are witnessing now in Bauchi State does not continue for another four years. I will team up in order to change the present change positively “.
While rolling out his plans for the state if given the ticket of the party, he said that he is ready to give the best governance to the state by improving education, health care delivery and agriculture as well as improve on internal Revenue generation.
He assured that in the event that he did not get the party ticket but he is satisfied with the process that produces the party’s flag bearer, he would give his maximum support to ensure victory for the party.
However, he added that if he and his supporters are not satisfied with the primary process, they will think of the next line of action.
Nigerian Tribune
