NNPP governorship candidate, Haliru Jika
By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
The Gubernatorial candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party in Bauchi State, Haliru Jika, has expressed displeasure with the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held on February 25th.
He said that he was unimpressed with the electoral body’s performance, noting that it fell short of expectations of Nigerians who were promised an improved process.
Jika, who currently represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District in the Upper Chamber, stated this while speaking with journalists at his residence.
“I am not impressed with the performance of INEC in the last election because we were told from my situation room that there were lots of discrepancies and hitches. Even the INEC staff were not conversant with the operation of BVAS,” he stated.
Speaking on the peace accord by gubernatorial candidates of various political parties in the state ahead of the March 18th elections, he said peace would reign if INEC did the needful.
The former Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, therefore called on the electoral umpire to be neutral, just and fair to all.
He said: “I made it categorically clear to everybody that cared to listen that as long as there is no attempt to subvert the will of the people in the elections in Bauchi State there will be peace. I will abide by the rules of the game but anything otherwise we don’t know”.
Jika, who dispelled rumours that he had withdrawn from the race or that he is planning to do so, boasted that he is the candidate to beat because he is in the race to win.
“I did not step down from the Governorship for any candidate and my party has campaigned extensively. This rumour has been going round and l have in several fora said it over and over that I did not step down for any one.
“I have always been a winner. I have never been associated with failure. I am going to win the Governorship election in Bauchi. I am going to be the best thing that has ever happened to Bauchi. I am an engineer. I am a technician. I have the ability and the capacity to turn around things, to revolutionize the way of governance in Bauhci State”
