Senate bye election: Some politicians join race to be settled, says Aliyu

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna.

Niger state governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has said that some politicians join political race in order to be settled or compensated and not because they are genuinely interested in contesting elections.

Aliyu spoke yesterday in Minna against the backdrop of the race for the senatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party for Niger east senatorial election and the 2015 governorship race.

According to him, this category of politicians only want to be noticed for political patronage if the party forms government.

Aliyu stated this when he received five pick up vans equipped with communication gadgets donated to the state by the communication giant, MTN, to aid movement of security operatives in the state.

“Some politicians enter race to get money; we will not beg anybody to step down. If God gives you the ticket we will accept you if you lose your money, it is your own cup of tea”.

Aliyu also threw his weight behind the decision of government to deploy men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for election duties though it is not part of the constitutional role but because of the ‘do or die approach of some politicians.

“In the Nigerian situation, democracy has not been entrenched to the extent that people will accept defeat; politicians want to win at all cost hence the deployment of men of the armed forces for election duties”.

Aliyu noted that the strength of the Nigeria Police Force is just 470,000 out of which over 150,000 are deployed to civil works which has made policing of elections by only the Police to be inadequate.

“We need the police; we need men of the Nigerian Armed Forces; we want men of the Nigerian Air force and Civil Defence to provide security during elections. Nigeria is under-policed. We need all the security we can get especially at this trying times”

Earlier an Assitant Manger of the MTN, Mr Austin Iyashere, had told the governor that the company had provided 115 vehicles to 18 states in the country to assist in security operation adding that more states will benefit from the next phase of the programme.

Aliyu also received the new Commander of the 31 field Artillery Brigade, Brigadier General AM Dukku, who paid him a courtesy call at Government House where he challenged him to assist in

improving the security of the state.

He pleaded with his colleagues across the country to give all security organizations the needed support for them to succeed saying that the 36 state governors have also resolved to join hands with President Goodluck Jonathan to confront the security challenges facing the country.