As Bauchi State local government election slated for October 17th this year approaches, Chairman of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bogoro Local Government Mr. Rikaya Haruna has warned that the PDP candidate for the Chairmanship position, Mr. Ilya Habila was unpopular and does not have the backing of the electorates to win election during the polls.
Rikaya who described Mr. Habila tenure as caretaker chairman “a waste of time” said any attempt to rig the APC candidate Mr. Bulus Iliya would be rejected outrightly.
Mr. Rikaya in an exclusive interview with WikkiTimes said that the PDP will not have the opportunity to manipulate the election in his area even if it does so in some local governments.
He warned that any attempt by the ruling People’s Democratic Party in Bauchi to manipulate the election will be resisted by the people of the area “because PDP has done nothing for us.”
The APC chairman also said that his party will challenge the ruling party in court if “it makes any attempt to rigg the local government election in Bogoro.”
Rikaya who described the possibility of winning the local government election by the PDP candidate as “very narrow”, said the candidate of his party, the APC will win.
“Considering the fact that most of his people have run for the APC, for instance, former speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Yakubu Dogara and many of his supporters, it’s going to be very difficult for the candidate of the PDP to win the forthcoming October 17th, local government election in Bogoro”, Rikaya said.
Asked about the power of incumbency that could work in favour of Mr. Habila during the elections, Mr. Rikaya said that “they are just joking, they can’t win in Bogoro even if they win in other LGAs”.
“They can’t win here in Bogoro because my candidate, that is the candidate of the APC has all it takes to win the election. “Nobody can manipulate Bogoro, even the governor knows that nobody can do that”, the APC chairman insisted.
Rikaya who simply described the candidate of the APC as a “very good man that has all the leadership qualities in him” added that many people in Bogoro have abandoned the PDP for the APC since the exit of the immediate past Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.
He said that the chairmanship candidate of the PDP has throughout his stewardship as caretaker committee chairman done nothing for the people to warrant his election as the substantive chairman.
“The PDP candidate for chairmanship position of Bogoro will fail because he has done nothing for the people, the PDP has done nothing in Bauchi state and their candidate, Iliya Habila has done nothing in Bogoro and to me they will lose woefully”, the APC chairman said.
Rikaya who described the PDP as a “hungry lion that just wanted to take over power and consume money” said from the state level, down to the local government areas, “they have not been able to do anything for the people who voted them.”
Responding, the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Bogoro ‘C’ ward, Mr Peter said his party will not use rigging as a tool to win the forthcoming local government election.
According to him, Habila’s short stay as a caretaker committee chairman, “the candidate of the PDP has proved that he is a leader to reckon with by renovating the LG secretariat and lending a helping hand to the less privileged despite the lean resources available.”
