2019: Lame to challenge Bauchi governor

The newly appointed board chairman of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Dr Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, has voiced his intention to contest the Bauchi State APC governorship ticket in 2019.

Lame spoke about his intention while addressing his supporters who came to felicitate with him at his residence in Bauchi over his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari as the board chairman of the agency.

It could be recalled that Lame, a former minister of police affairs, lost to Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar in the 2015 APC primaries.

He said he wanted to become governor to repair the destruction suffered by the state in the hands of the current administration.

Lame said they worked with other wellmeaning politicians, personalities, groups and their supporters to dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

“This lack of change has not changed our resolve. So, we must renew our desire for coming together in the first place to repair the destruction of our state. We know what the problem is and we know the steps we must take to address it.

“We cannot be silent without having a concrete plan for repair. Most of my supporters have gone to radio stations and you have come today calling on me to run. I want to let you know that the desire to run and fix the problem of Bauchi State is even stronger than 2015,” he said.

Lame, who assured his supporters that he had gone far in the preparation for the 2019 election, added that like minds were being mobilised to confront their political opponents.

He also said that the time when unpopular politicians rode on the popularity of President Muhammadu Buhari to win election is over, stressing that people will vote for competent candidates instead of the mediocre in 2019.

The former APC governorship aspirant said his doors were wide open for consultations, even with the people whom he alleged betrayed him during the 2015 primaries.

It could be recalled that the former minister emerged first runner up in the 2015 Bauchi APC governorship primaries after Governor Abubakar with a margin of 120 votes.

Speaking earlier, his supporters, who came from the various parts of the state, said they came to felicitate with him over his recent appointment as the chairman of NAMA board.

They thanked President Buhari for the gesture, saying Lame is a man of the people who worked tirelessly to entrench the APC in the state.