Bala Mohammed Kicks against Terrorism Tag, Fumes over Alleged Persecution of Opposition

• If they want war, we will give them war, says Bauchi governor

•Laments incarceration of his finance commissioner

•Vows never to join APC

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Bala, yesterday expressed anger over what he said was information at his disposal that he had been tagged a ‘terrorist’ by the federal government, maintaining that the alleged persecution of leaders of the opposition must stop forthwith.

Speaking at the Executive Council Chamber of the State Government House after receiving an award of excellence as a Safety Ambassador from the Safety Institute Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON),  the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, insisted that he will never join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) despite current developments.

The Bauchi governor maintained that although he was willing to support President Bola Tinubu and by extension the federal government on issues of development, he was not a weakling and would make peace if the government at the centre wanted peace and give them war if that’s what the situation requires.

While decrying the kind of politics he said is currently being played by the ruling party, the governor pointed out that his commissioner is currently being held for doing nothing, stressing that he was not a coward to bend to intimidation.

“I was just waking up to an occasion where I was told that I am being accused of terrorism as a governor, someone who is the head of the opposition. My commissioner has been kept and would not be released by the EFCC.

“Even when I have immunity as a governor, my name was stupendously mentioned in a motion in a court of law in Nigeria. Me, Bala Mohammed, who is being recognised without my inclination for this kind of recognition. God is wonderful. I don’t have to say anything; I don’t have to go to the public court, but certainly politics has become something else in Nigeria,” he lamented.

Mohammed stated that he had kept quiet for a long time so as not to be seen as overheating the polity, but noted that since the federal government wasn’t relenting in the ‘persecution’ of the opposition, ‘If they want war, we will give them’.

The governor alleged that the federal government has not done a single kilometre of road project in the state, explaining that even the security being experienced in Bauchi, including federal security personnel, were being funded by his government.

With the little resources at his disposal, Mohammed stated that he has worked to transform the state, despite the federal government collecting 51 per cent of all allocations.

“We have a country where 51 per cent of the resources of the country is taken by the federal government. In my state, they have not provided 1 kilometre of road, they have not provided water. Even the security agencies I am the one paying them to work for us, and they have the guts to talk.

“This is a country where, when you work, you become a villain. I have kept quiet for too long just for peace and security, because as politicians, we should not overheat the polity, but I am not a coward. I’m just keeping quiet because of the common people. We don’t have to denounce and denigrate people before we ascend to power,” he pointed out.

He also took a swipe at the Bola Tinubu administration for its handling of the ongoing tax reforms which culminated in the tax laws which take off today, January 1, emphasising that despite all that is going on, the government was bent on further impoverishing Nigerians.

“The federal government should look at this tax system. In spite of all the impurities, they are going ahead to impoverish the common man, to impoverish the sub-nationals (and) we are keeping quiet,” the governor stated.

He received the award on behalf of the people of Bauchi State, noting that despite their differences, all parties continue to live together in harmony in the state because the tenets of democracy and tolerance were being upheld.

Mohammed lamented that deploying the institutions of government like the EFCC, to persecute and prosecute Nigerians that are not within their ruling party will not augur well for the nation.

“If they don’t stop, we are going to declare war. I assure you, we are not going to keep quiet anymore. I won’t allow anybody to criminalise me because I’m not in their party. And I refuse to join their party. And I will not join their party.

“ My family members, my officials, have been taken like anything and locked up without any reason. This award has inspired me to talk. I didn’t want to talk,” he stated .

While thanking ISPON for the award, he assured that he will remain humble and modest and make sure that he leaves a legacy and landmarks that will make Nigerians proud. “And no Jupiter will stop us from doing this,” he stressed.

While urging the federal government to reduce the pain on the people, he stated that he was willing to work with the government in this respect, highlighting the frugality of his administration in the deployment of resources.

“We will not join them. If they want war, I said we will give them. If they want peace, we will give them peace,” he insisted.

Earlier, a former National President of ISPON and life member of the organisation, Haruna Malgwi, who led the top leadership of the organisation to the state, said the governor was picked because of his developmental strides since he took over the reins of governance.“ The transformation in Bauchi state is unprecedented,” he stated.

The unanimous choice of Mohammed, he said, was without a lot of debate, lauding the governor for ‘thinking outside the box.’

“It is not easy to balance politics and the interests of people. But we can see that effortlessly, because it’s coming from your heart, you are able to acknowledge communities, give them independence and other things,” he stressed.