The immediate past Secretary to Plateau State Government (SSG) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate for Plateau North Senatorial District, Hon. Rufus Bature, said he was optimistic that his party would win the governorship election and many other elective positions in the forth coming 2019 general elections.
Speaking in an interview to explain his candidature and plans for the people if elected, Bature said APC deserved to be re-elected in the state owing to its unprecedented achievements, including its firm stand against violence, insecurity and criminal activities.
He said unlike the previous administrations, Governor Simon Lalong has put in place effective policy framework to end the crises in the state and return the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in different camps across the state to their ancestral land.
“The Plateau crises started in 2001 and issues were not taken seriously by the previous governments until this present government came on board. There have been repeated crises in the six local government areas, particularly Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas.
“These areas have been devastated by crisis and as a person, I have look at it in different dimension. Unfortunately, some people were benefitting from what was happening and have politicized it. These people wished the crises continue so that they can use the ugly incident to criticize the government.
“When I was the Secretary to the State Government, we engaged in consultations, confidence building, and for three years we had it good.
“We have also doused tensions and we have been enjoying relative peace since the last three years. Also, before now, people committed crimes and go unpunished but I can assure you that with what government is doing now, people have been arrested and punished.”
Bature said for a long time things were allowed to deteriorate as there was no confidence building or dialogue among the people.
“That was why this crisis continued unabated since 2001. But with the sound political machinery put in place to address the crises and the plight of devastated communities, the APC government has done wonderfully well. For this and more, the party deserves re-election in 2019 to consolidate on the gains,” he said.
He said that he chose to resign his appointment as the Secretary to Plateau State Government to run for the Plateau North Senatorial seat because he wanted to come and do (on a higher level) what he did best in his days at the state house of assembly representing his people of Plateau North.
“As a government appointee and as SSG you do things as directed, but as a legislator you take decisions on your own as you deem necessary and you are responsible for your actions.
“As SSG, I have a limit to how I can project the problems of my people for them to be solved by the government. But as a legislator, the spectrum is wide, and I can go to different levels to represent my people and project their interest. Basically, that is the reason I resigned my appointment to run for Plateau North Senatorial seat.
“Undoubtedly, my senatorial zone is currently troubled owing to the repeated crises that have claimed lives and properties across the state. When I am eventually voted in as a Senator to represent my people, I will work towards entrenching abiding peace among all the parties, and I will also strive to improve the prosperity of my people,” Bature added.
