Drama as Bala Mohammed cautions APM candidate against calling Tinubu govt useless
There was mild drama on Saturday as Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, cautioned a senatorial candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, against describing the Federal Government led by President Bola Tinubu as useless.
The drama played out during the APM campaign flag-off in Bauchi.
The governor interrupted the candidate while he was addressing supporters at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, after the politician called for the removal of the Tinubu administration and urged Nigerians to “flush out these useless people”.
Mohammed immediately cautioned him, saying, “Don't call them useless.”
The governor subsequently urged Nigerians to support APM presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, describing him as a leader who would promote fairness, equity and inclusiveness if elected president in 2027.
He said a government under Makinde would ensure that federal appointments and opportunities were distributed fairly across the country's ethnic and religious groups in line with federal character and merit.
Mohammed disclosed that more than 100,000 positions would be available for appointments, insisting that no particular ethnic group or section of the country would dominate the process.
“There are over 100,000 positions to be filled. It will not be filled by one tribe alone. It will not be skewed to one tribe alone. There will be balance. There will be federal character and there will be selection based on merit, putting square pegs in square holes,” he said.
He described Makinde's proposed Reset Nigeria Agenda as a product of consultations and professional expertise, expressing confidence that it would address the country's governance challenges.
The governor also backed the proposed unity government, saying it would accommodate different interests and tackle tribalism, religious intolerance and political exclusion.
“The gentleman is ready to manage diversity. He has also spoken about a unity government. That is inclusion, throwing away impunity, tribalism, which is the bane of our problem, and religious bigotry,” he said.
Mohammed appealed to Makinde to give Bauchi and other states in the North-East adequate consideration in federal appointments, resource allocation and development projects if elected president.
He said opposition-led states should not be denied federal opportunities because of their political affiliations.
“Whatever that is coming, don't take it to Oyo alone, take it to Bauchi too. That is how we do politics,” he added.
Also speaking at the rally, the Director-General of the APM National Campaign Council, Felix Hassan Hyat, accused the Tinubu administration of worsening hunger and poverty, saying many Nigerians could no longer afford their basic needs.
Hyat, a former Minister of State for Aviation, also expressed concern over insecurity, particularly its impact on children's access to education.
He urged Nigerians to vote out the APC in 2027, arguing that the country needed a change in leadership to address its economic and security challenges.
“They are now telling people that things will get better, but when exactly will that happen? Ever since the APC took power, the citizens of this country have known nothing but hardship. The only solution is to replace them in 2027 so that the country can be set on the right path,” he said.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, said the party was not seeking political offices for their own sake but wanted Nigerians to regain control of the political process.
“We want Nigerians to own the political process,” he declared.
Dantalle described insecurity, poverty and economic deprivation as signs of deeper weaknesses in the country's political and economic system.
He criticised the rising cost of petroleum products, arguing that the prices had become increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians to afford.
The APM chairman also questioned the disparity between workers' wages and the cost of meeting basic household needs, warning that widespread economic hardship could push some citizens into criminal activities.
“You cannot effectively fight corruption when the policies you introduce deprive citizens of their basic necessities and the minimum requirements for survival,” he said.
Dantalle, who commended Governor Mohammed for his administration's development efforts in Bauchi, urged Nigerians to support Makinde and his running mate, Daura, in the 2027 general elections.
Drama as Bala Mohammed cautions APM candidate against calling Tinubu govt useless