Ex-FCT Minister Emerges Bauchi PDP Governorship Candidate 

By  Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

There was jubilation in Bauchi metropolis as a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, emerged winner of the Bauchi Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election.

The election, which lasted till the early hours of Monday, saw Mohammed polled a total of 1,335 votes to defeat his closest contender and former Deputy Senate Leader Abdul Ahmed Ningi, who polled a total of 802 votes, while the third contender, Senator Adamu Ibrahim Gumba, polled 15 votes.

Announcing the results in the early hours of Monday at the Zaranda Hotels, Bauchi, the Chairman of the PDP National Electoral Committee, Chief Dan Osi Orbih, commended the delegates for conducting themselves in an orderly manner throughout the period of the exercise, saying that it was a demonstration of the readiness of the PDP to reclaim power in the state come 2019.

Orbih also commended the LOC Chairman Abdu Hassan for a well organised exercise, saying that everything was put in place for the success of the exercise just as the contestants and their supporters behaved well throughout.

The fourth aspirant, Mohammed Auwal Jatau, had earlier been disqualified as he did not scale through the screening on the grounds that he has not been participating in party activities for a long time since 2015 when he lost the gubernatorial election to the incumbent Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar.

He was said to have only purchased the nomination forms when the time for election came.