The All Progressives Congress in Bauchi State has boasted that despite Governor Bala Mohammed’s strategies to be re-elected in 2023, it is more prepared to win the governorship poll in the state.
This was as the governor reappointed Ibrahim Kassim as the Secretary to the State Government.
Mohammed contested the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He had assigned Kassim, who secretly resigned as SSG, to get the ticket of the party for him.
He disclosed to journalists that the re-appointment was a way of compensating Kassim for stepping down for him and paving the way for him to get the ticket to contest for a second term.
After losing the presidential primary with only 20 votes, Mohammed returned to the state in a bid to claim the governorship ticket of the PDP, which Kassim won.
However, the news broke late on Tuesday that the former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, was the candidate of the PDP having been elected, according to the party, the “sole candidate” of the party with 655 votes out of 656 cast, resigned from contesting the election.
Following this development, the party started making arrangements to conduct a fresh governorship primary, which will pave the way for Mohammed, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to get the PDP ticket to contest for a second term.
The Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado, in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, said Kassim’s reapportionment as SSG was with immediate effect.
He said Kassim’s re-appointment was as a result of his loyalty, track record and competence.
The state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Adamu Jallah, said his party was not bothered by Mohammed’s emergence as the candidate for next year’s governorship election.
Jallah said, “We have travelled almost the entire states and we are 100 per cent sure of beating him (Bala Mohammed) or any other candidate in any other political party. We are not bothered or worried by him coming back to get the ticket to vie for the governorship election.” (Punch)
