By Bala Dauda
15 youth groups in Jalingo on Monday endorsed the candidature of Alhaji Hamza Baba-Muri, a seasoned journalist, as member representing Jalingo 1 constituency in the Taraba State House of Assembly come 2019 election.
The youths under the auspices of Movement for the Actualization of Hamza Baba- Muri Candidature, made this known in Jalingo when they organized a sensitization programme against “money bag politicians”.
Speaking at the occasion, the coordinator of the movement, Alhaji Yusuf Abubakar, advised the youths to always vote for candidates with proven integrity instead of those that offered money in exchange for votes.
He noted that voting for a candidate based on material benefits rather integrity was dangerous because the electorates could not hold such candidate accountable if he or she fails them.
“ I urge you to consider people like Baba-Muri who, as a former teacher and of course a journalist, has impacted positively on our lives in terms of knowledge acquisition and access to vital information.
“ If you ignore a competent and credible candidate, who has always been by your side, and opt for the one that gives you money, be rest assured that you will have no moral justification to complain if he fails you,” Abubakar warned.
In his remarks, Alhaji Tukura Malkabu, a renown politician, called on the youths to jettison the bandwagon effect of President Muhammadu Buhari, which had “misled many electorates into voting for incompetent candidates”.
“ Do not vote for parties, vote for credible candidates. All of us are living witnesses of the problem of Buhari’s bandwagon effect. Just last week, some of them were stoned for abandoning their constituents for two years,” Malkabu said.
Responding, Baba-Muri, a PDP member and former Press Secretary to Taraba State Deputy Governor, appealed to the youth to ensure they acquired voter card which, he said, was “the most potent weapon for changing bad leadership”.
While cautioning the youths against violence and lawlessness, he assured them that he would contribute his quota towards making laws that would promote youth empowerment if given the opportunity.
“ If you stay out of trouble and give us your mandate, be rest assured that we will do everything humanly possible to empower you and restore your dignity,” Baba-Muri said.
