On several instances in the past, the people of Bauchi State have demonstrated that there is no room for imposition of candidates on the electorate. In 2007, when former Governor Ahmadu Muazu tried to install the Secretary to State Government, Nadada Umar on the PDP ticket, former governor Isa Yuguda of the defunct ANPP won the election through protest votes. Likewise, in 2015, Isa Yuguda anointed Auwal Jatau on the PDP mandate only to lose to APC’s M. A. Abubakar, also through protest votes.
In 2019, the APC’s direct primary elections that preceded the general election were controversial and therefore considered by most active political actors at the time as a sham. They protested and at different levels worked against the party to bring Gov. Bala Mohammed of PDP. In 2023, in probable revenge, MA Abubakar of APC had his supporters back Bala Mohammed of PDP to contribute to the efforts at defeating retired Air Marshal Sadiq Baba Abubakar of APC.
Going by all that has transpired and given the outcomes of the just concluded primary elections across the political parties in the state, except APM and APC, all the other political parties came out clean. NNPP’s Ahmed Shuaibu, ADC’s Halliru Jika, PDP’s Usman Sufi and PRP’s Shehu Buba were the creations of either circumstances or personal political efforts. However, in APM, Yakubu Adamu is Governor Bala Mohammed’s making while Ali Pate allegedly single-handedly made MA Abubakar in APC.
As the 2027 general elections draw closer, INEC in accordance with the Electoral Act, will lift the ban on campaigning and all these contestants will go to the field to sell their respective candidature to the electorate.
For former governor MA Abubakar of the APC, the people of Bauchi State will easily vet him. His score sheet of 2015 – 2019 will be brought out of the shelves, cleaned and analysed. His record in infrastructure, education, healthcare, economic and social development, agriculture, rural development, empowerment, security, employment, science and technology as well as energy will be rated by the electorate. Also, with the fact that Bauchi State has many civil servants, MA’s record of past relationships with workers will also be a determining factor in rating the former governor.
Yakubu Adamu of APM, Halliru Jika of ADC and Shehu Buba of PRP will have to campaign tirelessly and rigorously to convince all doubting Thomases that they have all the leadership experience, political dynamism, administrative acumen, leadership guts and the prerequisite global network to govern Bauchi State. NNPP’S Ahmed Shuaibu, though doubtlessly experienced and credible, together with PDP’s Usman Sufi will need to do a lot in creating a statewide political front that will see them become frontline contenders in the 2027 race to the government house on Yakubun Bauchi road.
In 2027, Bauchi State needs a governor who is patriotic and experienced in the context of their readiness to create the future today. To create the future, the knowledge of the yearnings and aspirations of the youth, the owners of the future, is critical. Thus, the next governor of Bauchi State should see things differently from what obtains in the past. To revive education for instance, it requires more than the tradition of building classrooms, recruiting teachers as well as providing teaching and learning materials.
Once technology in the context of digitising the teaching and learning process as well as the use of AI are not considered, then it is not about the future. It becomes another context of being busy doing nothing. In simple terms, time has changed, the world has moved on faster than is seen and Bauchi State should not afford to continue to remain behind.
Mukhtar Jarmajo, Misau, Bauchi State
