|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
James Abdu Saleh, a known politician in Adamawa State and grassroots mobiliser, in this interview with Blessing Adimabua explained why the people of Gombi/Hong Federal Constituency want Hajiya Larai Adamu to represent them at the National Assembly in 2027. Excerpts:
Why are your people calling on Hajiya Larai to run for Gombi/Hong Federal House of Representatives come 2027?
Thank you very much for this important question. The reason we are calling on our daughter, sister and mother, Hajiya Larai Adamu, (Sarauniyar Giyaku), a retired Comptroller of Immigration to run for the Federal House of Representatives come 2027, is because she has touched our lives in a very positive way. She has done what a leader needs to do as a visionary and caring leader because she represented us well when she served and worked at the Nigerian Immigration Service. Here in Gombi Local Government, she has done what a leader should do for her people and that is why we are calling on her to come and represent us at the Federal level as a member of the Federal House of Representatives representing Gombi/Hong Federal Constutiency in 2027.
What are those things that she has done in her service to humanity that informed this clarion call to serve you people as a legislator?
I can say it boldly without mincing words, that particularly in Gombi, that Hajiya Larai has built primary school classroom blocks, empowered women in various fields of skills and youth empowerment. She has also stood as a bridge among the Christains and Muslim communities in Gombi and Hong. She has also stood and supported our culture and made sure there was peace in Gombi and Hong.
People say that politicians are not to be trusted. Are you saying that if she wins in 2027, she will represent Gombi/Hong Federal Constutiency well?
Of course, yes! She will represent us hundred percent because she is tested, trusted and we have seen it and seen her performance in the past as a human capacity developer. So, we have no doubt about her ability and capacity to represent us anywhere. She has done it before and she will do it again and again for her people. She is hard working, focused and we pray to God that by the time she is in Abuja representing us, she will do more than what she has done already for her people.
What role do you think you people need to play to enhance and ensure her chances of winning the election in 2027 assuming she heeds your call?
Our primary assignment here at home as a people is to go round the federal constutiency to create awareness and tell our people more about Larai and stand firm and be united for her so that by the time the election day comes, we will all vote for Larai and stand for her because we have started going round ward by ward, unit by unit, and market to market to tell our people that Larai is the leader we want come 2027.
What is your assessment of the present member representing Gombi/Hong Federal Constutiency in Abuja?
We are the ones that campaigned and voted for him during the last general election in 2023, but unfortunately today, he is not representing our interest. He is not doing what he promised us and that is why we need immediate change and the change we need this time is a woman with character, capacity and good heart for our people and that is why we are calling on Hajiya Larai to come and represent us because she has the capacity and heart of gold to work for us.
What is your message to your people in Gombi/Hong Federal Constutiency. Is this call a personal one or does it represent the views of others in the constituency?
My message to the good people of Gombi/Hong Federal Constutiency is, let us vote credibility. Let us vote for someone that could stand for our interest and someone who knows our people; let us also vote someone that whenever we call him or her, he/she will come back home and say I left my people behind and remember us. That is the kind of person we need and Hajiya Larai has that character, capacity and all the affection of good leadership we need. They should forget about money, religion and vote somebody that will represent us well in Abuja. It is a general view in our constituency.
Which party does the person representing you people now belong to?
He is of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP). We are the PDP people who voted for him but today because of the kind of politics they are playing, he doesn’t look back and think about home and that is why we need a change and vote for a woman this time around because everybody knows that women have sympathy for their people and that is why we need a positive change in 2027. That is why we are calling on Larai to come and stand for us.
Hajiya Larai is under the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC). Why are you people supporting the ADC?
We are supporting the ADC because they have turned the PDP into a family and friends affairs party. So, we dont belong to that again and as far as we are concerned, we are united and have agreed together, come 2027, we are mobilising our people for Larai and we will vote for her.
What is your take on the performance of Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa State in the last six years?
Sincerely speaking, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has performed and done well in office and if there are opportunities for him to run for third term, I will vote for him. He has done what we needed him to do as a leader but unfortunately we dont like those working with Fintiri, that is why we need a change.
Nigerians from the north to the south are crying for change because of hunger, poverty and hardship under the APC government. What is your assessment of the present government under Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last two years?
Let me tell you that everybody in Nigeria today knows what is going on and no reasonable person will tell you to vote for Tinubu. Infact, nobody will tell you to vote for APC because people are suffering too much. So, I dont need to talk much about that because everybody knows the situation we are in today in the country because you know how much we were buying rice and other commodities before. You know how much we were buying a liter of fuel before. These things have changed negatively.
