Civil Society Tasks Bauchi Politicians to Accept Governor’s Reconciliation Move

Sunday Okobi

A civil society organisation, Coalition of Civil Society and Media Executives for Policy Stability (COCMEP), wednesday lauded the Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, for declaring ceasefire in the political hostility between him and Abuja-based politicians of the state extraction.

 It therefore called on the latter to embrace the governor’s olive branch and reconciliation gestures for the good and progress of the state.

In a statement issued by the Executive Director of COCMEP, Innocent Okadigbo, which was made available to THISDAY yesterday, the CSO stated that peace is a sine qua non for development and the partnership between the governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who hails from the state is critical in coasting myriads of federal development projects and democracy dividends to the state, and that all should be done to avoid distracting the state governor.

According to Okadigbo in the statement, “It is in the best interest of the state for the governor and Dogara to unite so that the Speaker can use such peaceful atmosphere to complement the governor’s development strides by influencing many federal projects for his home state and making the governor to be more focused on serious issues of governance; this is why the governor’s reconciliation gestures are highly commendable.”

The activist expressed worries on the ugly trend in the state and regretted that such feud between Abuja-based politicians and their states’ governors had in the past robbed and denied the states of the warring Abuja politicians of federal development projects and cited examples with Anyim Pius Anyim as the then Senate President and Dimeji Bankole as the Speaker House of Representatives to  buttress his points.

Okadigbo who blamed fifth columnists, political jobbers and agent provocateurs for benefiting from the crisis and desperation for 2019, said they are the brain behind the Abuja-based politicians particularly the lawmakers from Bauchi State reluctance to cooperate with the governor’s reconciliation gestures.

While commending Abubakar for his maturity and wisdom in declaring the cease fire, Okadigbo urged the governor not to relent in pushing the reconciliation moves to a successful conclusion and also urged Dogara and his partners to have a re-think and embrace the governor’s peace and reconciliation project.

COCMEP boss declared that it is Almighty God who giveth power and that “no amount of political belligerence can remove the governor in 2019 if God has not approved it and this is increasingly so with the governor’s score card that has distinguished him as people-friendly and focused leader.”