I’ll champion your cause – Bauchi assembly aspirant assures youths, Widows, others

By Mohammed Kaka Misau

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of assembly aspirant for Lere/Bula inTafawa Balewa local government area of Bauchi state, Hauwa Babaji Burga has assured the youths, women, widows and divorcees of her intention to champion their cause if elected in 2023.

Hauwa Babaji who gave the assurance in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Tuesday explained that she was prompted to contest for the position following calls from several stakeholders in her constituency.

“Honestly speaking, I have good plans for the youths and women in my constituency if elected in 2023. I will create job opportunities for them no matter how little it is, because they are the backbone of every society”, she said.

“I will make sure that I assist them to become self reliant, including my fellow women, I also have plans for them, I intend to when elected, assist them with what to do in their houses such as small scale businesses and different forms of skills to enable them help their husbands”, Hauwa reiterated.

Hauwa Babaji promised to if elected, also champion the cause of widows and divorcees for them to be carried along in government programmes.

“I will try to see that I fight poverty in my constituency by creating job opportunities for the youths”, she vowed.

“My resolve to contest for the seat was borned out of calls on me by several people and stakeholders in Tafawa Balewa. I thought they were joking and I think I even had misunderstanding with them but they did not relent in their calls on me to join the race”, Hauwa revealed.

The house of assembly hopeful said because people saw the competency in her, it reached to a point where they even started teasing her that, “by the grace of God this is our house of assembly Member come 2023”.

“I was not feeling okay with it because I don’t want them to create problem between me and my house of assembly member who is currently serving but they insisted. Honestly speaking I even used to cry because I don’t want them to be linking me with the position”, Hauwa recalled.

According to her, “my thinking was that, I don’t have anything, I don’t have Godfather who will help me, I felt with my condition, how will I say I will be contesting for the seat?

The aspirant who chronicled her journey into politics said it all started when her former school mates brought up the issue during one of their meetings.

She said, initially, she didn’t buy into the idea but they later organized themselves and went to meet her father to solicit for his intervention so that he can make her accept their calls on her to declare her interest to contest for the seat.

“After they left, my father called me and sat me down and told me that things are not done that way. He said that if people approach you with such suggestion, don’t turn them down because you don’t know what the future holds for you”, she said.

“So, with that advise from my father, I now agreed to give it a trial and see how it will go. I came to realized that if I reject their calls, one day I will seek for their support and they will not offer me. So, that thought prompted me to succumb to their demand and we got started, up to today that I am talking with you”, Hauwa Babaji explained.

“When I joined politics, I, together with others started championing Dr. Ahmad Mu’azu’s presidential ambition, we went to all the 19 northern states, we were calling on him to contest. Initially, he didn’t show interest but we intensified our calls on him and he later showed sign of accepting our calls but up to today he has not tell us anything”, she added.

“From there I started to focus more attention to my own political ambition, now I have even bought the nomination form, I have filled and submitted it and we are hoping that by next tomorrow they will screen us”, Hauwa Babaji said.

On the forth coming primary election, Hauwa appealed to her party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure justice for all the aspirants.

“I am appealing to my party leaders to be fair to all of us the aspirants by giving us the needed level playing ground just like it has always been, most especially at this time when His Excellency, Governor Bala Mohammed is steering the affairs of the state with justice and fairness”, Hauwa pleaded.

She also advised the delegates to fear God by voting on the bases of competency and who will after winning election look back at them and not on the bases of money in which after winning the election, they will be abandoned.

“With regard to vote selling and vote buying, this one I will talk to the general public, the electorates, they should desist from selling their votes, they should vote those that have their interest at heart, those that are competent and with passion to serve them with fear of God”, she said.