Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has cautioned a senatorial candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against describing President Bola Tinubu’s administration as “useless” during a campaign rally in the state.
The governor gave the warning on Saturday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi after the candidate, while making a case for Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential ambition, called for the removal of what he described as “useless people” in government.
Mohammed immediately interrupted the candidate, saying, “Don’t call them useless.”
The governor subsequently used his address to canvass support for Makinde, describing the APM presidential candidate as a leader capable of building an inclusive government that would promote fairness, equity and balanced representation across the country.
He said a Makinde-led administration would ensure that government appointments and opportunities were distributed fairly, rather than concentrated in the hands of a particular ethnic or religious group.
According to him, the proposed government would have more than 100,000 positions to fill, with appointments guided by federal character, competence and merit.
“There are over 100,000 positions to be filled. It will not be filled by one tribe alone. It will not be skewed to one tribe alone. There will be balance. There will be federal character and there will be selection based on merit, putting square pegs in square holes,” he said.
Mohammed described APM as a political movement offering Nigerians a new direction, adding that Makinde’s proposed Reset Nigeria Agenda was informed by extensive consultations, professional expertise and practical experience in governance.
He also praised Makinde’s record as governor of Oyo State, arguing that his leadership experience had demonstrated his capacity to manage the country’s diversity.
The Bauchi governor further endorsed the idea of a unity government, saying it would promote national cohesion and address the challenges of tribalism, religious intolerance and political exclusion.
“The gentleman is ready to manage diversity. He has also spoken about a unity government. That is inclusion, throwing away impunity, tribalism, which is the bane of our problem, and religious bigotry,” he stated.
He assured political leaders and residents of Bauchi State that their interests would receive attention under a Makinde presidency, appealing to the candidate not to concentrate federal appointments and development projects in Oyo State or the South-West.
Mohammed also complained about the difficulties opposition-led states face in accessing federal interventions, insisting that Bauchi and other states in the North-East deserved fairness in the distribution of national resources.
“We have chosen that line. We want to be in the mainstream, and you are the centre of the mainstream. So we are at your mercy and the mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala,” he said.
He added: “Whatever that is coming, don’t take it to Oyo alone, take it to Bauchi too. That is how we do politics.”
The governor also commended the consensus arrangement adopted by the APM in Bauchi State, saying the process produced candidates across various elective positions, from the State House of Assembly to the governorship, without serious disagreements.
He, however, warned against reproducing the same pattern of political exclusion and impunity Nigerians had experienced, expressing optimism that Makinde’s proposed Reset Nigeria Agenda would put the country on a sustainable path to development.
