Leadership Crisis Rocks Bauchi LP, Candidates Threaten Peter Obi’s Election

BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – Less than 24 hours after the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi flagged off his campaign in Bauchi State, a leadership crisis now threatens to tear apart the State chapter of the party.

Peter Obi had on Thursday, led his running mate, Yusuf Datti Ahmed, LP National Chairman and other bigwigs to Bauchi state to flag off his campaign at the Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa Memorial Stadium, but shortly afterwards, a group of candidates threatened to dump the Party over what they described as maltreatment and sidelining by its State leadership.

Addressing Journalists on behalf of the aggrieved candidates, Mallam Shabbir Duguri, who is the LP candidate for Duguri/Gwana Constituency in the State House of Assembly said; “You know that our presidential candidate, Peter Obi was in Bauchi today (Thursday) but we as candidates were completely sidelined, nobody told us what the programme was. We were not allowed to play any role before, during or after the programme.

“We are the people at the grassroots, we have a strong support base but the leadership of the LP in the state is not carrying us along, we don’t know what is going on in the party.”

Alleging they were told that the presidential candidate does not need their support to win the election in Bauchi state because he has other more important people working for him, Duguri then said; “Though we did not hear that directly from Peter Obi, what happened during the campaign was an indication that something is fishy.

“We were not allowed to go close to where he was neither were we presented with flags despite the fact that our names as candidates have been displayed by INEC.”

Also highlighting their grievances, another LP candidate for Pali State Constituency, MK Said, lamented that they have been left out in the scheme of things by the State Party’s executive, having spent their money to float and support the party in the state.

Said alleged that the sum of N50m was sent to the State chapter’s leadership for mobilization but they sat on the money at the detriment of the entire Party’s membership, urging the Party’s presidential candidate to look into their grievances before it is too late if he actually wants to win election in the state.

Threatening that all of them will work against the LP if they were not listened to, the candidate further said; “We joined LP because of the good Peter Obi but as it is now, we have been disappointed by what is happening. He should immediately look into the matter and resolve the issue. We are giving him four (4) days from today to act or we and our supporters will go to where we are valued.”

All other candidates from Giade, Shira, Katagum, Jama’are and other LGAs, alleged that the party Chairman in the state is running the party as a private business, excluding every other person from knowing what is going on in the party.

The 21 State House of Assembly Candidates as well as those for the House of Representatives under the LP warned that when the ultimatum issued to the Party’s leadership expires, they will be left with no option other than to jettison the LP for the presidential elections and direct their supporters to vote for another presidential candidate.

They however said that they will go ahead with their aspirations of becoming legislators under the LP having been cleared by INEC to contest during the elections.