Bauchi NUJ organizes debate for governorship aspirants

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Bauchi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) is now reaching out to some civil society organizations and other professional bodies with a view to organizing an open debate among gubernatorial candidates in the state after party primaries to set the stage for the electorates to decide.

“The Union has started talking with some members of civil societies and other professional bodies with a view to setting the state, especially after the party primaries to organize an open debate for all governorship candidates in Bauchi State”, Union chairman, Dahiru Mohammed said.

According to the chairman, the need to organize the open debate for the governorship candidates in Bauchi State is in line with the mandate of journalists as agenda setters to enable the people especially the electorates to decide who should lead the state.

Alhaji Dahiru Mohammed was responding to an address by the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial aspirant, Engr. Nuhu Gidado when he led members of his campaign team to the Press Centre, Bauchi to declare his intention to contest the state number one seat come 2015.

“After the party primaries when we know who the candidates for the political parties will be, the Union will organize an open debate for all governorship candidates, so that in line with our mandate of agenda setters, will bring issues on the table for the electorates in Bauchi State to decide”, he stated.

He observed that the people of Bauchi are interested in seeing who becomes governor so that after the elections they will enquire what will be happening to unemployment, poverty, and other issues that are genuine to their well-being.

Alhaji Dahiru Mohammed assured that NUJ and its membership in Bauchi are more than ever ready and determined to create a level playing field for all political gladiators in the 2015 elections in order to contribute their quota as stakeholders in the Bauchi project.

The APC gubernatorial aspirant, Engr. Nuhu Gidado, who doubled the press briefing with his declaration to contest the state governorship seat, expressed optimism that credibility takes centre stage in Bauchi state come 2015 elections.

Engr. Nuhu Gidado assured of not dodging away from the invitation of the union for the all-encompassing debates for candidates of political parties in the state if eventually he becomes the Bauchi APC flag-bearer, and prayed that journalists will be a party to the success he is envisaging.

Gidado urged the people for prayers to enable the state have credible leadership in 2015 that will salvage it from bankruptcy, inept leadership, and want, to a collective mandate for re-birth, resurgence and rejuvenation.