LG elections: PDP’s Chairmanship aspirant for Misau LG faults selection process

By Amina Ahmed Dankawuwa, Misau

Weeks to the scheduled Local government elections in Bauchi state, an aspirant for Chairmanship in Misau local government area under the People’s Democratic party (PDP), Honourable Sulaiman Mohammed Bello has faulted the process which produced a different person as candidate of the party other than himself.

Popularly known as Raya Karkara, Hon. Bello said he was shortchanged in the selection process of party’s candidates that produced the Chairman and Councillorship candidates in the recently concluded primary elections in Misau local government area in which he was an aspirant.

Speaking to Baushe Daily Times on Monday, Raya Karkara who commended Governor Bala Mohammed for directing that the primaries be conducted free and fair, however, decried that he was not carried along by the stakeholders in Misau while doing the selection.

According to him, the ticket given to the former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the local government did not follow due process.

“The preparation for the local government elections followed a directive from the Governor and he advised our party, the PDP to produce candidates that are acceptable by the people and our party announced the commencement of sales of forms which I also purchased”, he said.

According to him, the Governor had advised the party to adopt consensus in the selection of candidates which has been in practice by the PDP.

“We do consensus in the PDP, a process where stakeholders will agree with one voice. With this, we came out to contest but unfortunately what happened in Misau local government area was not transparent at all”, Raya Karkara said.

He added: “I bought a form but after three days the incumbent Caretaker Committee Chairman also purchased a form. So if consensus is anything to go by, the stakeholders should have called the two of us, sit us down and discuss the possibility of me or him to withdraw from the contest, but in Misau, this process was not followed, they only decided that the Chairmanship slot has been taken to Hardawa while that of the party has been allocated to Chiroma district”.

The Misau Chairmanship aspirant lamented that the stakeholders failed to follow the proper way of selecting candidate of the Chairmanship position but instead concluded that since the caretaker committee chairman is the only aspirant that purchased the form in Hardawa, he automatically becomes the consensus candidate.

“However, before they took the name to His Excellency, the Executive Governor, I used my personal relationship with most of the stakeholders in Misau that are in this government to inform the Governor that the process wasn’t free and fair, your directive wasn’t followed”.

Raya Karkara who recalled that he contested for Chairmanship of Misau local government area but was persuaded to withdraw from the race for Garkuwa.

“What the stakeholders did now is not election, it’s not a consensus, in fact it’s not selection. The normal thing to do is either election, selection or consensus but unfortunately out of the three procedure, none was adopted, this is the first time I am witnessing this type of politics”, he said.

Raya Karkara who boasted of been the rightful Chairmanship candidate of the PDP for Misau Local government, called on the people of Misau to remain law abiding and live peacefully with one another.