By Beatrice Gondyi Bauchi
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi has responded to those calling for him to contest the 2023 presidential race to give him three weeks to decide.
Governor Mohammed stated this when a political pressure group known as the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) presented him with a letter of demand calling on him to contest.
He said “I will not categorically give you an answer, I will have to make consultations across all political divide in the country after which I will come out with my position. I rely on the leading of Allah and my political Constituency. Just give me between 2 and 3 weeks and I will get back to you with a definite answer’.
He said the country is walking on a precipice saying that something urgent needs to be done to salvage the situation and make the system work again.
“I am the most hunted and humiliated politician in the country, since 2007 when I defeated an outgoing Governor to emerge the Senator to represent Bauchi South to the time I raised the motion on necessity and eventually appointed as Minister of the FCT, I have continued to face stiff opposition and political intimidation’.
He added that, ‘I have refused to be intimidated, I have refused to bulge and I have moved on to pursue the cause I believe in.
To the glory of God, here I am today, the elected Governor of Bauchi State against all odds and political character assassination. Allah has indeed been gracious to me and family’.
The Governor said that, ‘We came to Bauchi state with fire of determination to develop the state and make it better than what we met in 2019. To the glory of God, we have been able to make significant progress within the past 2 years and we intend to continue to do that until the end of our term in office.
Earlier, the National Chairman, Elliot Afio explained that, during our last NEC meeting in Gombe, we scrutinized 47 people across the country and Bala Mohammed was one of the leading names that came up as one of the tops. We subjected the leading names into votes and Bala Mohammed emerged the winner and it was unanimously endorsed.
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The NYLF boasted that it had positive influence in all the presidential candidates who later emerged elected since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1998 declaring that with a membership strength of over 4 million, the Forum has strong base to be relevant in the political process of the country.
The National Chairman then declared that, ‘I hereby present the letter of call to contest the 2023 presidency to you on behalf of the NYLF. Let me tell you that, if you decline our request, we will work against your political aspirations in the future’.
