CSOs to document campaign pledges by candidates in Bauchi

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Non Governmental Organizations and Civil Societies under the aegis of Bauchi State Network of Civil Society Organizations (BASNEC) has commenced distribution of pledge forms to community leaders in the state to document campaign promises.

The leader of the team and BASNEC chairman, Comrade Jingiri Garba made the call when he paid a courtesy call to the Bauchi State secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) seeking for collaboration with journalists in the state to succeed in the task ahead of BASNEC.

Jingiri said “As 2015 elections draws nearer, politicians have started coming out from their hide out seeking for elective positions and promising a lot of things. There is a need for them to fill the pledge forms instead of just talking without committing themselves into writing down the things they are promising the electorate.

“We have already printed the forms and distributed same to some community leaders to give politicians to fill all their campaign promises, so that when they are voted into power and they derail, the community leaders can dust up the pledge forms they filled to remind them of the promises.”

According to him, “This will go a long way in promoting good governance and the practice is very much obtainable in some developed countries and I don’t see why we can’t do same here? We are not just distributing the pledge forms alone but we have been visiting communities to sensitize them on the need to partner with us to promote good governance.”

Jingiri also called on Nigerians irrespective of the ethnic, religious and political background to shun pre and post elections violence, saying the bitter experience of the 2011 post elections violence in Bauchi and some other states are still very fresh in the minds of the families of the victims.

Also, the NUJ, Nigeria Bar Association and Civil Societies are to organize open debates for all politicians seeking elective positions in the forthcoming general elections.

Comrade Mohammed Dahiru, the state NUJ Chairman said the essence of the open debate is for the aspirants to roll out their blue print to the electorate for them to decide who has the most suitable blue print among the aspirants.

He added that the open debate would promote good governance and at least shift from the usual politics of personality to issue base politics adding that for long the politicians focus mainly on personality than issue base politics which is not healthy for the nation’s nascent democracy.