Youth in Bauchi protest governorship aspiration of Yayale Ahmed

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Democracy was in action when hundreds of youth took to the streets of Bauchi in what was seen as a peaceful demonstration against the governorship aspiration of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The youth carrying placards with inscriptions, ‘We don’t need Yayale’, ‘We don’t need a traitor, we need development’, ‘Bama son Yayale, Bai tabuka mana komai ba’, and a host of other wording expressing their dislike to Yayale who is aspiring for the governorship of Bauchi under the PDP in the 2015 elections.

Their grudges against Yayale Ahmed was that during his tenure as permanent secretary in the Federal Ministries of Defense and Education, Head of Service of the Federation and subsequently as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, he contributed nothing to the socio-economic and political development of Bauchi State.

Some of the youth who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity at the gate of the NUJ Secretariat Bauchi, also apportioned blames on the National Chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu whom, they alleged, is the brain behind the imposition of the former SGF on the people of Bauchi State.

They also blamed the FCT Minister, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed as alleged accomplice towards the actualization of Yayale governorship, querying that the minister has after all contributed nothing to the state during his representation of Bauchi South Senatorial district in the Senate and the FCT ministerial tenure.

The demonstrators explained that they intend to take letters of their grievances to the Government House and the PDP state secretariat in Bauchi, as well as take same to the Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, and expressing confidence that the imposition for Yayale governorship aspiration will be reversed.

They recalled that the PDP National Chairman, Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu had at the end of his second tenure as governor of Bauchi in 2007 tried to impose his Secretary to the Government, an action that culminated to the PDP loss of the seat to the opposition ANPP in the following election.

Investigations however revealed that the demonstrating youth might have been sponsored by some power brokers in Bauchi in which game plan; colossal sum of money was alleged to have been spent as inducement to the youth to stage the demonstration.

It is not immediately known as at press time as to whom the demonstrating youth submitted the letters of grievances at both the PDP state secretariat and Government House, and whether or not they were received by the Emir of Bauchi at the palace.

It would be recalled that some power brokers in Bauchi recently sponsored an advertorial in one of the national dailies kicking against the gubernatorial aspiration of the former SGF, Mahumd Yayale Ahmed, calling him all sorts of names.

It is also not immediately known whether or not the state government has a hand in the protest staged by the youth, as allegations are ripe that those in the corridors of power have an anointed candidate for the 2015 gubernatorial elections in the state different from the former SGF.