Indubitably, Bauchi State is one of the hottest political spots in Nigeria. With a very volatile electorate, the state has remained one to watch whenever Nigerians go to the polls. More so, especially in recent times, the opposition in the state is hardly passive. In most cases, the government in power is challenged by a strong opposition which, from recent experience, defeats the former at the polls.
For instance, in 2015, the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), culminating in the emergence of M. A. Abubakar as the governor. In 2019, the now ruling PDP succeeded in ousting the APC from power. Such is the case in Bauchi State, where the electorate is apparently democratically well-exposed so much that the political landscape is as undulating as it is sophisticated.
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And as Nigerians walk to the polls next year, the political temperature in Bauchi State is already rising, with the two main governorship contenders working hard to outdo each other. However, instead of issues to characterise the campaigns, where the government in power will try to convince the electorate that it has performed well, just as the opposition APC will try to show the electorate how the former has not done well, it beats even the wildest imagination that politicians in the state have resorted to destroying the billboards of their opponents. There is obviously no need for that.
The PDP-led government in the state can present its performance sheet to the electorate with a view to convincing the people on how it delivered on all the promises it made ahead of the 2019 governorship election. It should tell the world the way it has impacted the lives of the people. On the basis of indices, let the world learn how Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has not failed to transform education, agriculture, healthcare delivery, transportation, roads, security and the civil service in the almost past four years.
And for the opposition APC, let it convincingly tell the good people how the PDP-led administration has failed. Also, on the basis of indices, it should prove that it can do better by presenting reasons, among which should be the credentials of its standard bearer, Sadique Baba Abubakar. Let the world know how the erstwhile Chief of Air Staff met the Nigerian Air Force in almost the same situation Bauchi State is in today and turned around matters only to leave it a better place.
In essence, rather than develop primitive tendencies, politicians in Bauchi State can focus on issues so that the electorate can know who is the best and can, therefore, make informed decisions on election day. After all, democracy is about the people in terms of their wellbeing and general development.
Mukhtar Jamajo wrote from Wuse, Abuja
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