By Khalid Idris Doya
A former governorship aspirant under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Captain Muhammad Bala Jibrin, has warned former Governor Isa Yuguda and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, against what he described as attempts to impose former Governor Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar as the APC candidate for the 2027 governorship election in the state.
Jibrin while addressing a press conference at NUJ Secretariat in Bauchi on Monday, he alleged that fingers were pointing at Yuguda and Pate as key figures influencing the ongoing political process within the party in the state.
He warned them against “Short-changing Bauchi people by imposing an unwanted candidate on the electorate.”
According to him, Bauchi residents would resist any move to return Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar came to power, insisting that the former governor had already been “Tried, tested, and rejected” during the 2019 elections.
“They should keep away from any plot of imposing an incompetent, uncaring and ego-driven leader who had the opportunity to serve but failed,” he said.
Jibrin questioned the former governor’s renewed ambition, asking what unfinished business he still had in Government House after serving from 2015 to 2019.
He accused Mohammed Abubakar of neglecting critical sectors during his administration, particularly healthcare, alleging that his government refused to employ 38 Bauchi indigenes trained as medical doctors in Egypt under a state-sponsored scholarship programme.
According to him, the students were trained at Ain Shams University in Cairo and Alexandria University at a total cost of about $3.42 million, equivalent to over N5 billion at the current exchange rate.
He said despite the huge investment, the Doctors were allegedly abandoned after graduation and denied employment opportunities in Bauchi State hospitals.
Jibrin further narrated the ordeal of one female medical graduate whose original MBBS certificate was withheld by her university over an outstanding $8,000 tuition balance caused by an extension in her studies after childbirth.
Bauchi Citizen also alleged that the Bauchi State government under Mohammed Abubakar declined to settle the balance despite having already spent about $90,000 on her education.
According to him, the intervention of Babagana Zulum eventually resolved the issue after the Borno governor reportedly paid the outstanding of $8,000 during a private visit to Egypt.
He said the certificate was handed to the doctor by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Abuja in a ceremony covered by the media.
“Where MA failed, refused to pay, but the neighbour with a large heart, filled with love, compassion, and devoid of envy, paid the $8,000.00,” he said.
Jibrin said the development embarrassed Bauchi State and exposed what he described as the insensitivity of the former administration.
He also accused Mohammed Abubakar of poor handling of pension payments, workers’ welfare, education and agricultural development during his tenure.
The former APC aspirant claimed that many pensioners suffered severe hardship during verification exercises, while civil servants allegedly faced delays in salaries and allowances.
He further alleged that bailout funds, Paris Club refunds and other federal allocations received between 2015 and 2019 were not transparently managed.
Jibrin vowed that elders and stakeholders across the 20 local government areas of Bauchi State would resist any political arrangement aimed at returning Mohammed Abubakar to power in 2027.
The APC chieftain also raised issues of abandoned road projects, including roads in Federal Low-cost, Jos Road through Zaranda Hotel to Miri, and questioned spending on agriculture and education during Abubakar’s 2015-2019 administration.
He alleged that students in tertiary institutions were not paid stipends and that pensioners suffered during verification exercises.
Addressing Mallam Isa Yuguda directly, he asked whether he was pleased with the loss of the N5.5 billion spent on the medical training program.
He urged Yuguda to make an instant U-turn and avoid supporting Abubakar’s return.
To Prof. Pate, the Jibrin recalled his 2018/2019 departure from APC to PRP following the primaries and questioned why he would now back Abubakar.
He said Bauchi voters had supported Pate’s candidacy until recently and warned that his reputation was at risk.
“We bled enough. Do not kill us. Doctors save lives. You should be aiming higher ‘GCFR’ or at the minimum ‘GCON’,” he said.
He said both Pate and Yuguda have a measurable level of integrity and risk damaging their reputations if they back the former governor.
“The whole of Bauchi State will hold you individually and jointly responsible for what may befall us in the event of your insistence on pushing down our throats the man, Barr. M.A. Abubakar,” he said.
He also cautioned Prof. Ali Pate against supporting the former governor’s alleged comeback bid, arguing that such a move would not serve the interest of Bauchi people.
“Allah does not sleep,” he declared, while promising to release more details in a second statement focusing on financial management and spending during the former governor’s administration.
