The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sanator Bala Mohammed, has spoken out against the allegation of the Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, accusing him of allegedly sponsoring the thugs who attacked the campaign team of President Goodluck Jonathan in Bauchi on January 22, during a campaign rally in the state.
Mohammed, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi, said: "It is simply irrational for Yuguda to allege that the minister hired thugs to stone and embarrass himself (Minister), while addressing the presidential rally in his home state. By this claim, Yuguda has proven correct the allegation that he has been hobnobbing with the All Progresives Congress (APC) at night and running with the PDP in daytime."
According to the statement, the question that the governor must answer quickly without equivocation is: "Why did the thugs not stone him (Yuguda), while he was addressing the same rally, on the same podium and on the same day? Yuguda should also tell the world why he has suddenly turned into an APC spokesman, by exonerating the opposition party of culpability in the attack on the PDP presidential campaign team in Bauchi.
The statement noted that many Nigerians still remembered recent media' reports that Yuguda is the real godfather and sponsor of the APC gubernatorial candidate in the state and that he has not been campaigning for President Jonathan's re-election in the state. Stating that history is there to expose the governor as an unabashed fifth columnist in the PDP, the statement recalled that the first attack Mohammed received for wholeheartedly supporting Jonathan (then as Vice-President) was in 2010. "The same Yuguda, early in 2010, did everything humanly possible to recall and politically annihilate Mohammed from the National Assembly as the senator representing Bauchi South senatorial district.
"The minister's only sin was that he mobilised fellow lawmakers to invoke the famous 'Doctrine of Necessity' to confer powers on the then Vice-President Jonathan to act as president, while late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was away in Saudi Arabia receiving medical attention.
"The second attack on the FCT Minister by Yuguda came later in 2010, when he deployed enormous efforts into creating all manner of obstacles to block Mohammed's return and re-registration as a member of the PDP in his native Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state. Again, that attempt was futile as it failed disastrously for Yuguda. Since then, Mohammed has become a force to reckon with at the highest echelon of the PDP," Ogbuenyi said.
The statement further stated that in 2011, political thugs who were protesting against the victory of President Jonathan in that year's presidential election, razed down a two-storey building belonging to the FCT minister and nearly killed his mother and other relatives in Bauchi, but touched none of the Yuguda's properties.
It said the simple reason the minister's house was torched and his relatives traumatised was the unequivocal support and contributions to President Jonathan's electoral victory.
"On January 22, those who are conversant with the negative trend of Bauchi politics since Yuguda's era were not surprised when the FCT Minister paid another price for supporting President Jonathan. Mohammed was stoned and assaulted by political thugs, while he was on stage passionately addressing the PDP presidential campaign rally. Those behind the attack on Mohammed clearly are those who do not want his star or that of the president to shine. Unfortunately for them, they are too late on that mission.
"The minister has no apology whatsoever for consistently supporting his principal, Jonathan. He supports him because he (Jonathan) believes in Nigeria's oneness and peace as well as the transformation agenda of his administration. The minister will never be deterred by attacks on his person and/or malicious fabrications by selfish, mischievous and insincere politicians.
"Mohammed has consistently repeated that politics is not a do or die affair, hence he sacrificed his gubernatorial bid to allow peace reign in the state. He is also sharply aware that this is the time for everyone to focus on issues that would promote rancour-free campaign and elections to ensure victory for the PDP. It is on these bases that it would be ridiculous to suggest that the minister would hire thugs to attack the PDP to discredit the governor of the state - more so, because he (the minister) is not contesting for position with the governor.
"Finally, we wish to state categorically that based on his personal convictions and principles, Mohammed cannot sponsor thugs to stone himself or his boss. We, therefore, enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to completely disregard Yuguda's outrageous allegation. In fact, anyone who believes his wild allegation would believe anything! By Yuguda's latest embarrassing conduct, he has successfully exposed his chameleonic character as an APC mole in the PDP. We call on the governor to please respect himself by leaving Mohammed alone."
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