Bauchi State branch of All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the State Governor, Bala Mohammed, of deceiving the populace that it has distributed the COVID-19 palliatives in the state, saying the governor’s initial twit was misleading.
The party, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Adamu Aliyu Jallah, Tuesday in Bauchi, said the state government was still hoarding the Federal Government’s COVID-19 palliatives in the state.
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The party said: “We recall that within the week, the state governor claimed that hoodlums attacked the warehouse of the state to cart away the foodstuffs but went home disappointed having allegedly found an empty store.
“If really the hoodlums found an empty warehouse, then the government should tell us the whereabouts of the 118 trailers of foodstuff donated to the state by the federal government.”
The governor had on Sunday posted on his verified twitter-handle that “Today, hoodlums attempted a raid on the #COVID19 palliative warehouse in Bauchi State.
“My Chief of Staff was informed and he ordered the warehouse to be opened.
“They looked in and saw it was empty, and they turned back.
“And that’s because we shared everything to beneficiaries as at when due.
“For accountability, when we started distribution months ago, I ensured to set up a high-powered committee that included myself, my deputy, the State PDP Chairman and Chairmen of all political parties in the state, including traditional rulers, and others.”
Jallah said the party had observed: “With dismay a baseless claim by the PDP-led government in the state that it has distributed all palliatives it received from the federal government to the people of Bauchi State.”
The statement added that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, brought the palliatives to the state on the 6th of September, 2020 for distribution, but says the state decided to hoard the food items.
“We challenge the state government to publish the list of beneficiaries of the first tranche of palliatives received on behalf of the state by the deputy governor,” the statement added.
When contacted, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on media, Comrade Muktar Gidado, said the allegations by the APC was baseless, “As we have distributed the palliatives accordingly under the able leadership of the emir of Bauchi devoid of any political affiliation and so far we distributed the palliatives in 19 out of the 20 LGAs in the state.
“Anybody who doubts our transparency should contact the emir who is non-partisan to hear from him and you journalists were there when we did the distribution,” Gidado said.
On his part, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Yayanuwa Zainabari, rebuffed the allegations, saying, “Because of the Transparency of Bala Mohammed, he appointed a non-partisan emir of Bauchi State Dr. Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu to head the palliatives committee, and as I speak with you at the moment, we have distributed the palliatives to 19 out of the 20 LGAs that we have in Bauchi state.
Zainabari challenge the APC leadership in the state to advise their APC governors in other states who hoarded the palliatives that gave room for hoodlums to loot them.
“They should be transparent as we did in Bauchi state, that would have saved them from the shenanigans of the hoodlums.”
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