• Why I Left APC To Contest Under PDP - Barr. Hassan Maru
• Women Received Real Empowerment Through Engr. Ibrahim Shehu - Zamfara PDP Chairman
The ninth edition of the political program, Gaskiya Bata Neman Ado, has continued to shed light on political developments in Zamfara State.
Speaking during the program, the PDP candidate for Maru North State Constituency, Honorable Barrister Hassan Muhammad Maru, explained why he decided to contest for the State House of Assembly seat.
Barrister Hassan Maru started by thanking Almighty Allah for giving him the opportunity to appear on the program and share his views with the people. He said he left his former party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, because of injustice meted against them.
According to him, another reason he joined the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and decided to contest is the failure of the present administration to fulfill its campaign promises and its failure to tackle the insecurity bedeviling the state.
The PDP candidate said Maru North has been without representation in the Zamfara State House of Assembly because their lawmaker is among the nine members who were suspended by the present administration without committing any offence.
"In the history of democracy, there has never been a government that has raped democracy like the government of Dauda Lawal. That is why I see Dauda Lawal as not a politician and he does not know politics, that is why he is standing against it. It was just an opportunity he got that made him governor, not because he is politically capable," Barrister Hassan said.
He said as elders and educated people in the area, they cannot keep quiet when their constituency has no representative at the State Assembly.
"Our area is facing a lot of problems - insecurity, unemployment, there is nothing tangible that this government has done in our area, that is why we came out to seek freedom for ourselves by contesting for this State Assembly seat. And Alhamdulillah, we have been accepted by the people of the area because they know we are doing it for them," he added.
Also speaking during the program, the State Chairman of the PDP, spoke on the party's commitment to women inclusion and empowerment.
He said the journey is not complete without giving women their rights. He said whenever there is sharing of anything, Engineer Ibrahim Shehu Bakauye always says the share of women should be set aside first before talking about men. His desire, he said, has always been to improve the lives of women because they are the ones who take care of homes.
In his remarks on women support, Alhaji Sanusi Danhausa said women know who Engineer Ibrahim Shehu is more than anyone else, because till date, no lawmaker has given them special attention, especially in the area of their health.
"Ibrahim Shehu has played an important role by sponsoring treatment and surgery for women suffering from Vesicovaginal Fistula, VVF, across the state. No lawmaker has ever cared about this problem affecting women like him," he said.
He added that beyond health, Engineer Ibrahim Shehu has also supported women by sponsoring their marriages and providing them with all the necessary items needed for their matrimonial homes, to the extent that he himself does not know the number of women he has assisted in getting married in the state.
Danhausa said history shows that Engineer Ibrahim Shehu Bakauye was the first person to start supporting students, especially children of the poor, in Zamfara State. He was the first to introduce a scholarship program in the state, and any politician who is now paying scholarships is only copying him.
He further said that people with disabilities living in Zamfara State have also benefited immensely from Engineer Ibrahim Shehu, as he was the first person to start giving them special consideration and support in the state.
On the issue of car distribution which is now common among politicians, Danhausa said Engineer Ibrahim Shehu Bakauye was the first person to start the idea of distributing cars in Zamfara State.
"There was a time that even if you flashed him and your name appeared on his phone, he would say you should be given a car. All those who are distributing cars now, there is none among them that Engineer Ibrahim Shehu has not given a car. They all benefited from him. We have records, we are not just talking without facts. And for anyone who is opposing him, we have records of polio vaccines that were given to him," he said.
The State PDP Chairman, while adding more on women support, said Sanusi Danhausa did not fully explain it, because Engineer Ibrahim Shehu's principle is that he does not like publicizing such humanitarian work.
Despite that, the Chairman said women have received various supports from Engineer Ibrahim Shehu - they were given grinding machines, capital to start businesses, and livestock such as goats and sheep for rearing.
He said these are just a few among many interventions Engineer Ibrahim Shehu Bakauye has done in the area of empowerment in Zamfara State.
