By Mahmud Yahaya
It is no longer a new thing that whenever there exist main opposition, the ruling party never ceased from subjecting it to victimisation. It is evident that Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has being a victim of this unfair incident. He has since 2016 been pestered with several allegations of corruption which up to today, none of them gets him convicted.
Governor Bala Mohammed emerged winner of the 2019 gubernatorial election, which the APC despite all forms of intrigues failed woefully. Thus, they were not happy with the outcome of the poll. This consequently makes them more antagonistic and turn blind eye on all the developmental projects being executed in the state.
It could be recalled that on 7th August 2020, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the endorsement of alleged corrupt candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu by President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he is standing trial for alleged looting of N700 million. This statement was made in good faith.
However, in a reaction to the statement, on August 8, 2020 the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, called on the PDP to sack its governors and senators facing corruption charges, before it would be taken seriously.
Malam Shehu added that Let PDP first withdraw the governorship nominations it gave to Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa States respectively, before it opens its mouth and talk on the efforts of this administration in fighting corruption. Or else, it should shut its mouth forever and leave us to do what it dares not attempt”.
Now, more than ever, Bauchi and Adamawa States are being transformed rapidly. The call by the presidential media aide to the PDP to sack the Bauchi and Adamawa State governors, is utterly laughable, absurd and uncalled for. The Emergence of Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir couldn’t have come at a better time than this; in view of the deplorable condition of the state.
It is worthy of note, that the party which professes itself as the crusader against corruption should not have afforded itself the barest iota of questionability. This action of the APC vividly shows that its anti-graft war is bigoted.
If that is the case, then the PDP in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan is right to say “with its defence and endorsement of a person it is prosecuting for corruption, the Buhari Presidency has confirmed that it is not fighting corruption, contrary to its promises, but had become a safe haven for corrupt persons. The PDP said it is berating the Buhari Presidency for referring to unrelated cases and struggling to justify its widely condemned endorsement of an individual it is prosecuting for corruption.
By its response, the Buhari Presidency has turned itself into a defender of corruption and advocate for persons charged for corrupt acts in our country.
Yet, this is Presidency that claimed to have zero tolerance for corruption; pretended that it cannot eat with corrupt people with the longest of spoons, only to be found struggling to justify why it is swimming in an ocean of corruption.
Moreover, beyond the case in court, this is an individual, that APC former national chairman had openly described as a thief, treasury looter, acid bather and who, according to Oshiomhole, is only fit for night meetings and not for the position of the governor of Edo state.
This should ring a bell to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu back in 2016, same APC soiled his image by calling him names during governorship campaign in Edo state. Similarly, in a ten minutes video uploaded on Youtube by ChannelsTV the immediate past National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole described him as a corrupt person.
In the video, Adams Oshiomhole explained that Ize-Iyamu could not cast his vote during 14th April, 2007 governorship election because he was hiding from EFCC. He also narrated that, even though Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu served as his campaign’s director-general, he hadn’t been appointed into any governmental position after winning the election because Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is not trustworthy.
Accordingly, Adams Oshiomhole proudly and enthusiastically maintained that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who held different positions during Lucky Igbinedion’s tenure caused more damage than good to Edo state to such an extent that Lucky Igbinedion’s mother slapped him for misleading her son.
One ought to laugh to stupor at this hypocritically ironical alacrity. It is unfortunate that, the APC Nigerian thought is a party of prophets and saints turns out to be a formation of hardened creeds, who are willing to welcome anyone who will defect from opposition regardless of questionability of his character.
Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan said “such stance by the Buhari Presidency is an assault on the sensibilities of the people of Edo state, who have openly registered their rejection of Ize-Iyamu”.
Furthermore, our party notes the absence of President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and other top officials of the APC administration at Ize-Iyamus campaign flag-off, apparently to dissociate themselves and the government from his baggage of corruption allegation,.
Indeed, the two PDP governors are standing trial in court alongside senators. Nonetheless, it shouldnt be an impediment to the successes being recorded in their respective states. None of these political parties is without fault. In fact this was what brought about the APC slogan “change” in 2015, which dramatically led to the loss of the then ruling party – PDP. APC too, who has made myriad of promises to Nigerians is barely fulfilling them. Nevertheless, if all the political parties would emulate the ideologies of the Pre-independence political parties, whom nation building is their primary objective, the hope of the people will be rekindled and lost glory restored. And with the performances of Bauchi State governor so far, we believe that the Nigeria of our dream will be actualized.