By Saad Umar
On Saturday, February 25, 2023, the people of Bauchi South will go to the polls and pick the senator that will represent them for the next four years in the 10th Senate. The choice the people make will impact their lives, families and communities. This makes it very important for people to choose the right candidate.
There’s a clear difference that distinguishes Shehu Buba from the other candidates. As the frontrunner in this election, he has the experience, knowledge, ideas, plan and gravitas that will enable him to offer you and I the quality representation we deserve.
For a long time, we have endured the misfortune of having bad representation and bad representatives in the senate, like the incumbent senator who has failed to perform the basic work of a senator.
Since his election, the failed senator has comfortably settled in Abuja and forgotten his duties and the people of Bauchi South that voted for him. Not once has he come to meet and greet you in the constituency. Not once has he sponsored a bill. He has not for once moved a motion that concerns the people of Bauchi South. He does not show up when we are grieving, neither does he come when we are celebrating – like on the day we gathered at Kolmani, Alkaleri LGA to celebrate the start of oil production in our constituency. He doesn’t come because he doesn’t care. This is unacceptable and that’s why we should vote for Shehu to replace him
Similarly, we should not make the mistake of electing the unfit PDP candidate that doesn’t share our values; and will be a rubber stamp of a presidential candidate that has proposed to use the senate to ram through it, his anti people policies. These policies include selling our choice assets, selling our schools and universities to a few fat cows, foreigners and our enemies.
He will be a willing tool in the hands of a candidate who is promising pro business, anti people, free market economy that will not work for you and me. It’s an economic system that we all know will exacerbate our sufferings, increase inequality and benefit the extremely rich and foreigners. A candidate that supports the proposal to cut the size of the federal government, turning it into a small government for big people not for me and you, does not deserve your votes. The small government they are proposing means closing many MDAs that provide us with the little we get from Abuja and are charged with the responsibility to regulate the greedy corporations that feed on us, and if left unchecked, will kill us with their corporate greed. The proposal also means sacking all the federal workers working in those MDAs and foreclosing the possibility of employment for our unemployed graduates and the ones graduating in the future.
You and I must not allow this to happen. We need someone to be there for us. Shehu Buba is that person. If you elect him as your senator he will fight this and make sure your voices are heard in Abuja and your interests protected.
Over the course of his campaign, Shehu has gone to the nooks and crannies of every ward in Bauchi South, listening and learning from many of you. What he learned from you and what we share amongst ourselves is the fact that, since the beginning of the fourth republic, there is a growing disconnect between our leaders in Abuja and we the People. Times without numbers, they have failed to listen to us and address the issues that matter most to us, our families and communities. Shehu Buba will fix this.
A topical case of this disconnect and Abuja’s unwillingness to listen to us, is the way they plunged us into a needless inflation abyss where everyone is struggling to keep his head above water. Worse still, Abuja, in their infinite wisdom, implemented demonetisation which aggravated this inflation that has taken away the little money in our hands.
And, since early last year, Abuja has failed to address the fuel crisis that is taking more of our money, making transportation costs higher and negatively affecting our lives and businesses.
This Abuja way of doing things has to stop. And in this election, Shehu Buba is the best person to help put a stop to it. He will not shy away from calling Abuja’s bluff.
As your next senator, Shehu will fight for you, your family and our communities. He will work very hard to ensure that he brings in more money and investment in education, health care, social welfare and agriculture to Bauchi South. He did that as the chairman of Toro LGA.
And he did something similar when he was the Senior Special Assistant to Bauchi State governor where he conceived, initiated and designed the law that established the Bauchi State Nomadic Education Commission under which he led in building many schools, providing access to education and job opportunities to many citizens of Bauchi. He will do it again as your senator.
Besides, as a private citizen, Shehu has used money out of his pocket for charitable courses: he helped many people, built schools, mosques, boreholes, wells. He gave employment to many. Shehu’s philanthropy is legendary. As a senator he will continue to do the same.
Lastly, I’m humbly asking you to vote for Shehu Buba. If you trust him with your vote on Saturday, which will be his rare honour and privilege, he will truly represent you and I. He will work for you and our dear Bauchi South. He will join hands with you to strive to make Abuja work for all of us.
Shehu Buba is the best candidate for this job and that’s why we should all vote for him to be the next senator representing Bauchi South. Thank you.
Saad, a lawyer, is the Deputy Chairman of APC Publicity Committee, Bauchi State and former Director General BASEPA.
