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Challenges him to publish names of beneficiaries
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You’re a bunch of jobless people – PDP replies APC
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – The All Progressives Congress (APC) Bauchi State chapter has faulted the claim by Governor Bala Mohammed over the distribution of COVID-19 Palliatives particularly food items and challenged the State government to publish names of beneficiaries of the items as claimed.
This is as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state dismissed APCs position as baseless and totally unfounded describing the opposition APC in the state as jobless busybodies.
The APC while faulting the claim by the state government that it has distributed all the palliatives received from the federal government to the people of the state, stressed that the claim was far from the truth as it cannot be substantiated by any convincing evidence.
But the PDP would not allow the accusation by the APC toile low as it challenged its main opposition party in the state to go round the 19 LGAs so far reached with the palliative items and verified.
A statement by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Adamu Aliyu Jalla, declared; “If really the hoodlums found an empty warehouse, then the state government should tell us the whereabouts of the 118 trailers of foodstuffs donated to the state government by the federal government.
“The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiyar Faruk, brought the palliatives to the state on the 6th September, 2020, for distribution to the needy and the items were received by the state Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tella.
“The question is, where are those foodstuffs and to whom where they distributed? Of course, the state government claimed that it shared foodstuffs in some local governments, but the ones they shared, were they donated by wealthy individuals and donor agencies? What happened to the 118 trailers of foodstuffs, donated by the federal government?” the party queried.
The APC further alleged; “The foodstuffs donated included 1,728 metric tonnes of maize, 235 metric tonnes of millet and 1,668 of Sorghum. We challenge the state government to publish the list of the beneficiaries of the first tranches of palliatives, sent by the federal government and the second tranches of 118 trailers, received on behalf of the state government by the State Deputy Governor.
“If the Governor cannot do this, then he should withdraw his claim that he has distributed all the palliatives received and bring out the palliatives from where he is hiding them and start sharing them to the people of the state without delay”.
But in a swift reaction, the state chapter of the PDP said that the statement by the opposition APC in the state was baseless, unfounded and mere figment of the imagination of the APC which is non-existence in the state and now seeking for cheap publicity.
Chairman of the PDP in the state, Hamza Koshe Akuyam said; “It is a known fact that the entire palliative items supplied to the state by the federal government has been distributed to 19 out of the 20 LGAs in the state. The records are there for anyone to crosscheck.
“The palliative committee is headed by the Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, a Royal father and man of honor, he traveled round the state to ensure that the real people got the items. Let the APC go round the LGAs to verify. In Bauchi state, we are not playing politics with the lives of the people,” he said.
Akuyam therefore called on the people of the state to dismiss the allegations of the APC, remain law abiding citizens and continue to support the administration as it is striving to provide dividends of democracy to them.
He assured that very soon, Bauchi LGA which is remaining will get its allocation of the palliative items.
Governor Mohammed through his verified Twitter handle on Sunday claimed that hoodlums attempted to attack the warehouse where the palliative were stored with the aim of carting away the items, but went home disappointed, having allegedly found an empty warehouse.
