PAUL OMOKUVIE, BAUCHI
Bauchi State Women Coalition of for Sustainable Peace and Viable Democratic gains has threatened to initiate a recall of 13 lawmakers who sat for the repelling of anti-graft law sponsored by the outgoing Bauchi State administration.
Leader of the group Hajiya Addaji Mohammed stated this when she led hundreds of women to a special prayers for the successful transition on May 29, 2019.
Muhammad condemned the two latest bills passed by the state House of Assembly on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, barring government’s panels or committees from probing and recovering public properties and funds from suspected corrupt public office holders in the state and the bill to create district villages and hamlets heads and described their action as wickedness against the people of the state and lack of patriotism.
She said it was improper for the state Assembly to pass such bills into law, saying there was a law enacted in 2017 tagged “Bauchi State Public Property and Fund Recovery Tribunal law,” that empowers government to recover looted items and money from public officers.
She said: “That two bills are against the interest of the citizens as it will not allow good governance to be in place; even the outgoing governor seized what he called looted government properties from aides and officials that served former Governor Isa Yuguda why he himself doesn’t want the law to try him after he left office and they contacted their legal officer who told them that.
“The action of the 13 law makers contradicts Section 15 (5) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended which states that ‘the state shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.’ Such action undermines democratic process.”
She said: “Our stance in condemning the latest bill to repeal the existing law (Bauchi State Public Property and Fund Recovery Tribunal law 2017) because it has been of great benefit to Bauchi State citizens through prudence management of public property and funds even those who won their elections among the 13 law makers we will mobilise women and initiate the recall of the law makers for showing unpatriotic conduct by repelling the anti-graft law.”
Also speaking, Fatima Umar and Hajiya Hadiza Abubakar Mustafa, said there were many ambiguities on the act of the lawmakers that clearly show that they are rubber stamp of the executive and are serving and protecting the personal interest of the governor and not the interest of the state.
Fatima said creation of additional districts and was recruitment of over 500 workers was done in bad faith to create problems to the incoming administration.
She advised the incoming governor to review all the actions and in actions of the outgoing government administration especially their last minutes rush activities.
She said rumours going on from the supporters of the outgoing governor and some governor’s appointees might not augur well for the state especially a state where their outgoing captain is a lawyer who knows the laws of the land and on the handing over date and the law is clear about it and the law is clear about it its 29th may 2019.
Hadiza said when the result of the elections was announced the outgoing governor conceded defeat, but a few days later, he made a U-turn and decided to challenge the election result in court and as a result of that, some prominent supporters of governor went to the state radio stations announcing that on May 29, it’s the outgoing governor that would be sworn in for a second term, and now few days before the swearing in ceremony they have started speculating rumours that the governor will not handed over the state to the governor-elect; instead that they have planned to dissolve the state Assembly , and leave the state in the hands of state Chief Judge who will in return not hand over to the governor-elect until after the tribunal judgement.
She said: “It’s laughable, and shameful for a man who Bauchi State citizens gave the status he has never dream of for complete four years to allow his supporters to be speculating false rumours with the aim of causing confusion in the state; what is he going to achieve by creating confusion and chaos in the state?”