Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has criticised political parties and candidates who withdrew from the Bauchi State local government election, saying they are cowards.
He added that they should have participated in the contest to test their popularity among the electorate.
He stated this yesterday after he cast his vote in the ongoing local government elections in the state, commending the peaceful and orderly conduct of the exercise.
The governor voted at his polling unit, 008 Bakin Dutse, Dan Kungibar Ward, in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi, accompanied by his wife, Aisha Bala Mohammed.
He described the atmosphere at the polling unit as peaceful and serene, urging voters across the state to maintain the same spirit throughout the exercise.
The governor also criticised political parties and candidates who withdrew from the election, saying participation was necessary to test their popularity among the electorate.
“I can see that some people are cowards. They have even withdrawn from the election because they know they will lose. They are disconnected from the people and have not campaigned. You have been following our campaign trails,” he said.
He added that political parties should not rely on external influence to win elections, insisting that democratic elections should be determined by voters.
“If they had listened to my advice, they would have gone ahead to test their popularity. If you sit at home and think the federal government will give you the latitude to win an election, President Tinubu has shown that he is a democrat.
“You have seen what happened in Osun, where the people voted and their votes counted. People should understand that there is nobody who is going to install them. There is no monarchy here; this is democratic governance,” he said.
The governor called on those who would emerge victorious, urging them to govern with the fear of God and prioritise the welfare of the people at the grassroots.
“We are grateful to God, and we wish those who will emerge victorious a successful tenure. They should govern with the fear of God and understand that local government is where everything happens because the majority of our people live in the local government areas, not in the state capital.
“That is why we are making every effort to ensure good governance at the local level,” he said.
Governor Bala also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to conducting local government elections whenever they are due, saying the practice had helped strengthen democratic governance at the grassroots.
“Since we came into office, we have never skipped any election cycle. Whenever it is due, we hold elections, no matter what.
“I am fulfilled because the culture of democracy and democratic governance at the local government level has been entrenched. Everybody is conscious of it, and I believe what we are doing is continuously improving the quality of human capital coming forward for election,” he said.
According to him, the growing participation of educated professionals in local government politics is an indication of increased interest in grassroots governance.
“Today, we have people with PhDs, master’s degrees, university degrees and diplomas participating in local government politics. You hardly found such confidence in the past.
“Because of what we have done to ensure local government autonomy, we are giving them more resources, and a lot of activities are taking place in the local councils. As a result, people are becoming more interested, and that is the beauty of democracy,” he added.
Mohammed further said the state was generating more revenue and ensuring that a greater proportion of such resources was channelled to the local councils to support development at the grassroots.
Expressing gratitude to the people of Bauchi State for their continued support, Governor Bala said he was confident that his administration would leave office peacefully after completing its tenure.
