By Henry Umoru
ABUJA—AHEAD of the 2011 gubernatorial election in Bauchi State, former Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Baba Tella, said yesterday that the people of the state want the governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, out because they were disillusioned with his administration.

According to him, there is currently no relationship between the government and the governed, which forms part of the frustration and the urgent need for his replacement come 2011 gubernatorial election.

Tella spoke with journalists in Abuja, weekend, on his plans to run against Yuguda on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming primaries of the party.

He noted that the people of Bauchi wanted him to come out because of their disenchantment arising from the disconnect between the Yuguda-led government and the people. He said the governor rode to Government House on the promises he made to the people even after decamping from the PDP, but he threw them away as soon as he was sworn into office in 2007.

Tella said: “Government has alienated themselves from the people; the people have no say in our state government and all the promises made to the people in terms of development in various sector have remained unfulfilled and now the people are clamouring for a change.”

Senator Tella who noted that Governor Yuguda also neglected various opportunities and avenues to increase the internally generated revenue of the state like the Yankari Games Reserve, said, “a lot of money was invested to upgrade the reserve before he came into office but today the place has been pratically abandoned.

“It is a money spinner if properly harnessed.”

He said the problems confronting the state were solvable with and these were the issues that compelled him to join the governorship race top correct the mistakes of the past.

While acknowledging that he has an excellent relations with Yuguda, Tella stressed that the power of incumbency, money politics and the fact that the governor is the North_East Zonal Coordinator of Goodluck Jonathan_Namadi Sambo Campaign Team will not threaten his ambition.

“Coordinator of Jonathan doesn’t necessarily means that he is the chosen person by the people of that state. It is the President that chose him. It is not the people. We however respect the choice of Mr. President in that regard. But it depends on the amount of support and non_support that the governor has in the state.

Once there is free, fair primaries by true delegates elected from the wards, I believe that I won’t have any problem”, he added.

He noted that party stakeholders like former governor Adamu Muazu, secretary to the Government of the Federation Alhaji Yayale Ahmed and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Bala Mohammed among others will exert a lot of positive influence in the politics of 2011 general elections in Bauchi State, just as he expressed confidence that he will make it in the party primary once it was made free, fair and transparent because of the general disenchantment towards the incumbent administration in the state.

The Senator, who said Bauchi is 90 per cent a PDP state, said the return of Governor Yuguda brought division among party members as he alleged that the governor prefers to push some members out instead of accommodating them.

When asked if he was going to dump the PDP if he fails to get the ticket, he said, “I don’t intend to dump PDP. If you are convinced in your mind that you have a free, fair and transparent contest, you don’t have problem.”