By Kateng Daniel, Jos
Some concerned residents of Jos North and Bassa Local Government Areas of Plateau State have endorsed the candidature of Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande for the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency bye-election, fixed for Saturday, February 26, 2022, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The citizens who expressed satisfaction with the democratic dividends delivered by Hon. Suleiman, former member of the House of Representatives, during a meeting in Jos North, said he is the most honest and the most qualified candidate to fill the vacuum created by the untimely demise of the former member, late Haruna Maitala, having came second during the APC party primaries during the 2019 election.
A Chieftain of the APC from Jos North Local Government Area, Alh. Tijani Lawandi-Dati described Hon. Suleiman as a courageous and selfless politician, who has the political cloud and the democratic credentials to deliver the constituency to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I know from what I have seen delivered by Hon. Suleiman when he was in office, that he has the political support across Jos North and Bassa Local Government Areas to win the Saturday 26 bye-election for the APC.“
He lost narrowly the party primaries to late Hon. Haruna Maitala in 2019, yet he collapsed his political structure, coupled with financial and moral support to ensure that Hon. Maitala and the APC win the 2019 election and he deserves to be supported now.”
Alh. Lawandi-Dati, who hails from Abbana Shehu Ward, vehemently rejected the political permutations making round that the seat has been zoned to Bassa to favour a commissioner serving in the rescue administration of Governor Simon Lalong.
A resident of Bassa Local Government Area, Lawrence Zongo re-echoed the position of Lawandi-Dati that Suleiman who hails from Jos North deserves support for the bye-election election, having done well to the satisfactory of his constituents even went out of office.
“We advise our amiable Governor, Simon Lalong to adhere to the principles of democratic culture by allowing for an all inclusive contest ahead of the bye-election. The position should not be zone to favour an individual because all the contestants are looking up to the Governor as a father.
“I want Suleiman to contest the election because he is a symbol of peace and unity between the Christians and Muslims in Jos North; his tolerance for both religion and accommodative nature has engendered peaceful co-existence in the constituency.”
Jafaru Idris who hails from Angwan Rogo-, Naraguta B ward in Jos North Local Government Area said he has knowledge of a meeting convened by Governor Lalong and all aspirants vying for the bye-election where he appealed to people from Jos North to step down their ambition and allowed Bassa to finish the tenure.
He further said, “We will kicked against this arrangement, we know the Governor has support for his Commissioner, Joseph Abby Aku, who just came into the party from PDP in 2019.
He has not contributed anything to the success of the party.” Ezera Godit from Tudun Wada ward explained that there has never been zoning in Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency and that will not commenced with the bye-election.
He said, “Anybody who want to start zoning in Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency should bring the idea to the table, we will parade it round before the stakeholders ahead of subsequent elections but certainly not this bye-election.
“Also, there is something I want people from this constituency to understand that Suleiman, if elected would be a 3rd term ranking member of the House, who was a Deputy Chairman of a Committee and now would be given a House Committee Chairman that will bring massive and accelerated development to the people.
“But if we elect a new person who don’t understand the working of the legislative business to fill the vacuum, it will amount to waste of time, resources that will not fetch the constituency any dividend or political relevance.”
